Saving Alex
by ScienceLove2713
Summary: Alex is missing and Kara is at a loss. She opens up to Lena about it, and Lena jumps at the chance to help. Will this bring Kara and Lena's friendship to the next level? How will Alex fare after her rescue from the water tank?
1. chapter 1

**Hi guys, so I had this idea while watching Supergirl's episode Alex. I wanted to see Lena being there for Kara in a way we hadn't before. I plan to have more chapters though that will have some hard core Sanvers, Kara and Maggie interactions, and hopefully more Supercorp! Let me know what you think!!** **Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Supergirl or any Supergirl characters.**

Kara glanced down at her phone to read the caller ID, part of her hoping it would be Alex, all of her knowing it wouldn't be. None the less, when the name displayed registered in her mind, Kara's heart skipped a beat.

Lena Luther.

Lena and Kara had become incredibly close as of late. Kara would do nearly anything for the woman, she deserved to have someone who truly cared in her life. And Lena would be there for Kara in a heartbeat, she had no doubt. The only problem is that the DEO protocol prevents Kara from revealing her true identity. Which means Lena can't know about what's going on.

But, ohh how Kara could use someone to talk to who wasn't directly involved in this whole situation. Someone who is level headed and intelligent. Someone who knows Kara well enough to calm her nerves and help her see more clearly. Maybe just hearing her voice would help...

Kara answered the phone shakily, "Hey Lena..."

"Hi Kara, I was wondering if I could ask your advice on something...well, on someone."

"A...actually, now's not really a good time. I'll call you back?"

"Of course. But Kara, is everything alright?"

Kara could hear it...the concern in Lena's voice, the slight hitch in her breath when she registered Kara's trembling words, even (ever so faintly) the slightly elevated heart rate. Lena's worry was genuine. She knew Kara well enough that something had to be really wrong to get the normally cheery girl to this state. Kara had to decide: dismiss her friend's worry or risk breaking DEO protocol and potential future problems.

"N...no, not really..." Kara answered before she could change her mind.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"I...technically can't..."

"Ok, is there anything I can do to help? Anything at all?"

"Convince me I can handle this?"

"Well, that's kinda hard to do seeing I don't know what this is. But, I can try," Lena answered with a slight smile in her voice, hoping the tone would help Kara relax.

It helped some, Kara felt herself let out a slight giggle as Lena's voice alone somehow soothed her.

"Kara, you are one of the nicest, most determined people I know. No one should ever underestimate your will power and your dedication to what is right. Nor should they doubt your bravery. You have taken every obstacle ever presented to you in stride. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you're Supergirl. That's how much I believe in you. You can face this, what ever it is. And know that I will be right here for you through it all and when it's resolved."

Kara took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Did that help?" Lena asked. After no response, she added, "did I say something wrong?"

"No...no, Lena. You didn't say anything wrong. It's just...my sister is missing. And...and I don't know if we're gonna get her back. I'm just so scared Lena...I can't lose her. I...I need to find her..."

Lena could sense Kara's panic. But learning of the situation, her mind jumped to conclusions.

"Does CADMUS have something to do with this? I'll hunt down my mother myself if that's what it takes." Lena said, he tone darkening.

"It's not CADMUS, it's actually an old friend of ours. He knows that Alex has...uhhh...government ties. He wants his father to be released from prison in exchange for Alex's life. But, we can't do that and we can't find her. In less than 3 hours, she'll be dead..."

Kara couldn't help it anymore, she let out a sob.

"Hey, hey...Kara it's going to be ok. You're going to find her, she's going to live. Do you guys have any leads on her location?"

Kara, Alex, and Supergirl had been there for her many times. It was now time to return the favor.

"She's underground somewhere...in a cage...that's filling with water...She tried to send us her location using the camera in the cage. But, the ip address was re-routed."

"Winn can't decrypt the re-routing?" Lena's mind was focused on helping her friend find her sister, all thoughts of the proposal from the strange alien woman gone.

"I...I don't know. I just know we can't find her...I think Hank is coming to talk to me though. I'm going to have to go soon..." Kara sounded so tired and so defeated. It made Lena's heart ache. Kara was dreading hanging up, speaking to Lena was the only thing that had made her feel remotely grounded.

"Kara, I'm going to try to help you. Have Winn call me as soon as you hang up. With the two of us working together, we might have some better luck. We're going to get her back...I promise." Lena hesitated with those last words. It's dangerous to make a promise you aren't sure you can keep. But, she needed Kara to have faith and be strong.

"Thank you Lena, you have no idea how much I appreciate it."

With that, Kara had hung up. A few moments later, Lena's phone rang with Winn on the other line.


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm literally neglecting writing a final paper in order to write this next chapter, so I hope you guys like it! I'm hoping to keep getting the chapters out relatively quickly cause I'm super inspired for them. But, the end of the semester might slow me down slightly (key word is might). Please review! Constructive criticism is always welcome.**

 **It is assumed that the events of 2X19 continued as they did in the show, just with Lena in communication with Winn instead of considering Rhea.**

Kara was pacing in the control center as Winn typed furiously at his computer. Mon-El stood in the background, watching.

"Please tell me that you've got something," Kara pleaded desperately.

"We've literally tried everything…checked call logs, traced family members…there's nothing," Winn said, panic creeping into his own voice.

"We even tried to hack into the security cameras at Alex's apartment building and across the city to see if we could track where she was taken. But, someone had wiped all of the memory from that night," Lena chimed in from speaker phone.

Kara let out a distressed moan that made Lena's heart drop. She wanted so badly to magically find Alex Danvers, to take everyone's pain away.

"Hey, we'll figure something out Kara. Plus, Alex is incredibly smart and strong. We'll all get through this," Lena said, trying to help ease Kara's mind.

"I'm going to talk to Maggie, see if she has gotten anything else out of him… wh…where's Maggie?"

 _Flash forward to Maggie and Kara finding and freeing Alex_.

Alex's body looked lifeless floating in that tank of water. Maggie and Kara both felt the panic rise in their chests and exchanged a glance filled with fear.

Kara rushed to smash open the tank and the water came spilling out along with Alex. Kara and Maggie both rushed to her side, pulling her close to them. She was freezing and shaking, but she was alive.

 _Flash forward to after the "I love you's"_

Alex was exhausted, after the roller coaster of emotions that the past day had brought she finally felt safe and content. Her girlfriend loves her and was finally getting along with her Supergirl sister, she was out of that water tank, and she was alive. But, she was so drained and so sore, all she wanted was to go home. Especially because despite being dry and under heat lamps, shivers still periodically wracked her body and her big fuzzy blanket and hot cocoa at home (along with cuddles from Maggie) were calling her.

"Maggie, when can we go home?"

"Hmmm, I don't know. Let me find J'onn and ask," Maggie said, squeezing Alex's hand before walking away.

As Maggie was leaving, Kara walked up.

"Hey, how're you feeling?" she asked softly.

"Sore…tired…but great," Alex answered with a glowing smile.

"What's that smile for? Well…other than being alive."

"Well, my little sister and my amazing girlfriend swooped in to save the day. Aaaannnddd, Maggie and I finally said the L word…"

Kara's face lit up.

"Oh my Rao! You two said you love each other?!"

Alex just smiled and nodded, a faint pink showing in her still pale cheeks.

"I'm so happy for you! Where was Maggie going just now?"

"To see when I can go home," Alex said with a shiver, her smile faltering.

"Still feeling cold?" Kara asked, worry flashing across her face.

Alex nodded and pulled her blanket up closer to her chin. Kara reached out and rubbed Alex's shoulder gently trying to transfer some of her own body heat to her freezing sister.

Maggie came back and immediately sensed the shift in energy in the room.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her mind jumping to a million worse case scenarios in the second it took for Kara to answer.

"Alex is just still so cold and tired."

"Can we go home Maggie?" Alex asked, suddenly sounding like a little kid.

"Of course, sweetie. J'onn just gave me the ok. Do you want Kara to come with us?" Maggie answered, stroking Alex's hair lightly.

Alex smiled weakly at the suggestion. Yesterday, Maggie wouldn't have offered that up so easily. Maybe there was some good that came out of her captivity.

"Yes please," Alex answered. Maggie alone would make her feel safe. Maggie and Kara would make her feel untouchable.

Alex moved to stand up, but swayed as soon as she was on her feet. Maggie and Kara both caught her, one on each side.

"I've got it," Alex insisted as she took an unsteady step.

"Babe, maybe you should use a wheel chair or let Kara carry you…"

Alex knew Maggie was just being a concerned girlfriend. But, she was not ready to let her baby sister carry her through the DEO. So, she walked…leaning heavily on Maggie who kept her arm wrapped tightly around her waist and closely followed by Kara who would undoubtedly catch her if Maggie's grip somehow slipped.

Once the trio reached Alex's apartment building, Alex finally agreed to let Kara carry her up to her unit. All of her remaining energy had been spent walking through the DEO.

Kara made sure to gently place Alex on the couch while Maggie went to grab Alex's favorite flannel PJs and fuzzy blanket. Alex accepted the change of clothes gratefully. Before Maggie could hand her the blanket, Kara stopped her.

"Hold on, Alex used to love when I would do this when we were kids in the winter after a long day of sledding and snow forts."

Kara focused her heat vision on the blanket.

"Kara! Aren't you going to light it on fire?" Maggie exclaimed.

Alex laughed, "She's had a lot of practice. And trust me, we had our share of fires. I can't remember the last time you heated a blanket for me Kara."

Kara beamed, reminiscing about their childhood. She seriously doesn't know what she would have done if she lost her big sister today. Kara handed Alex the now toasty blanket and Alex cocooned herself in it.

Maggie reached down and rubbed Alex's back gently. "Can I get you anything? Soup, tea…hot cocoa?"

"Hmmmm, soup and hot cocoa would be great please," Alex replied wrapping her blanket closer around her and curling up on the couch.

Kara stopped Maggie before she could walk to the kitchen. "Stay with Alex, keep her warm. I'll grab the food."

Maggie smiled, her dimples showing. "Thanks little Danvers."

Maggie sat down next to Alex and Alex quickly shifted to have her head in Maggie's lap. Kara was back quickly with the food though and Alex whined when she had to sit up. Still, she accepted the warm bowl and mug. As she slurped at the soup, she could feel the heat seeping through her body. That paired with her favorite blanket and two favorite girls, she was surrounded by warmth. Maggie had flipped on the TV and put on Friends, one of Alex's favorite feel good shows for when she's had a rough day. After she finished eating, Alex leaned heavily into Maggie ,whose arm was draped around her shoulders, and reached out to hold her sister's hand.

"Thank you both for saving me and for taking care of me."

At this, Maggie squeezed Alex's shoulder and Kara tightened her grip gently on Alex's hand as they exchanged glances.

"I think it's safe to say we'd both go to the ends of the earth, or rather the universe, to keep you safe," Kara offered.

"And don't you ever doubt that Alex, we both love you too much not to," Maggie added.

Alex just smiled and snuggled closer to Maggie who moved her hand to gently stroke her girlfriend's hair. The three of them stayed there like that for a while in silence, just enjoying each others presence and letting themselves finally relax after the stress of the day. Alex could feel herself drifting off as she listened to Maggie's heartbeat. Kara heard Alex's breathing even out and glanced over to see Alex asleep.

"Do you think we should move her to the bed?" Kara asked.

"Let her stay like this a little while longer," Maggie said, dimples deepening as she watched the steady rise and fall of Alex's chest.

After another hour or so, Maggie felt herself growing tired. She moved to get up, making sure to support Alex's head as she did so. Alex visibly frowned in her sleep as her body registered the change in temperature around her.

"I think it's time for bed," Maggie said to Kara, "Want to help me move her?"

Kara carefully lifted her older sister and placed her in bed still swathed in her blanket.

"Thanks for everything today, Kara. I don't want to think about what would have happened if you hadn't been there."

"No, no. Thank _you_ Maggie! Without you, I don't know what we would have done."

"I guess we make a pretty good team Little Danvers," Maggie said with a laugh.

Kara could see the sleep creeping into Maggie's eyes.

"That we do. But, go get some sleep. I'm going to head home."

"You're welcome to stay if you'd like."

"I need some fly time after today, it always helps me process things. I'll be back in the morning though, to check on Alex. Don't hesitate to call if something happens."

"Wouldn't dream of it, goodnight Supergirl."

"G'night Maggie."

Kara walked out onto her sister's balcony, taking in the view of the stars before taking off into the night sky. She did a full sweep of the city before landing softly back at home. As soon as she had walked into her apartment, he phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, a smile crept onto her face when she saw the name.

Lena Luther.

 **There is some Supercorp in the future! Followed by more Sanvers. Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks so much for reading :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Once again neglecting homework in order to bring more chapters. Thank you all for giving me a productive reason to procrastinate. In this chapter I bring you...more Supercorp! Hope you like it! Please review :)**

"Hey, Lena!" Kara exclaimed as she answered her phone.

"Hi, I was just calling to check up on you. How are you doing?" Lena asked gently.

"I'm fine. Just a bit tired and happy that we got Alex back safe."

"Is she doing ok? She went through hell today."

"Yeah, Maggie and I made sure she got warm and got some hot soup in her. Now she's asleep. I just got home actually."

"Well I'm glad she's alright. And speaking of food, have you even eaten anything all day?" Lena inquired, her concern genuine.

Kara thought for a moment and realized she hadn't.

"No, I...I don't think I have. I was running late to work this morning and then was just so worried about Alex...I think I forgot to eat."

Lena couldn't help but to laugh at how surprised Kara was with herself.

"I figured as much, which is why you should open your door right...now," Lena said, pausing before saying 'now' to give herself time to actually reach the door to Kara's apartment.

Kara hadn't caught on and opened the door with a puzzled look to see Lena Luthor standing there in a baggy t-shirt, skinny jeans, and converse holding what looked like a large pizza and a few orders of pot stickers. Kara's mouth dropped open as she took in the woman in front of her.

"I know how much you love pizza and pot stickers. After the day you've had, only your favorite foods would do," Lena said with her bright smile bringing out her dimples.

"You are literally the best," Kara said, finally finding her voice and stepping aside to let Lena in.

"I assure you, I am no where near the best. I'm just a concerned friend."

"Nuh-uh, you spent the entire day trying to help find my sister while obviously neglecting your normal CEO duties and you bring me the best foods in the whole universe just to make sure I eat? You're definitely the best."

Kara's praise made Lena's stomach feel like it was doing summersaults and she could feel the blush creeping into her face.

"Kara, you look out for me so often. Of course I'd look out for you too. Now, come on. Let's eat!"

The pair settled down onto the couch after grabbing plates and napkins from the kitchen.

"Do you like Buffy the Vampire Slayer?" Kara asked, flipping on the TV.

"I do! It was actually one of my favorites when I was younger."

"Want to watch?"

"Certainly."

The rest of the meal was mostly silent as Kara shoveled food into her mouth and Lena watched on amused. After Kara's hunger started to subside, she felt Lena's eyes on her. Embarrassed, she forced herself to slowly chew and swallow her last bite.

"I...I'm sorry. I...I'm being such a pig. You're probably disgusted right now...you never see me eat that fast. Or...or that much! It's just...I was so hungry from not eating all day. And the stress...the stress always makes me end up eating more once I get the chance to relax. I don't know why though it's just...it's just what happens and..."

"Kara," Lena interjected. Kara almost keeps talking, but Lena jumped in before her. "Kara, sweetie, you're rambling. It's ok, you don't have to be embarrassed. I know what kind of day you had and frankly, I wouldn't mind either way."

Kara looked down and fidgeted with her glasses. She was embarrassed in the first place, but Lena calling her sweetie made her nervous somehow.

"O...okay," Kara said hesitantly. "Thank you again for the food...and for helping today. I appreciate it more than you know," she added.

"Anytime! And I mean that. Kara, I care about you quite a bit. I don't care this much about many people."

Kara felt her heart skip a beat hearing that. She knows she has many people who care about her. But, this felt different. This woman, who is usually so stoic and appears so hardened, is soft when it comes to Kara.

"I care about you too Lena," Kara said.

There was silence for a moment as the two woman stared into each other's eyes, not knowing what to say next. Lena took the time to really look at Kara for the first time that night. She could see the stress of the day written all over her face. The exhaustion causing faint dark circles beneath her eyes. Her usual bright smile was slipping. The little crinkle she gets on her brow when something is bothering her or when she's had a rough day is there.

Kara could feel Lena's scrutiny. She knew she must have looked like a mess. She looked down, breaking eye contact with Lena and fidgeting with her glasses.

"Kara, are you sure you're alright?" Lena asked, reaching out to gently touch Kara's shoulder.

"Yeah...yeah, I'm...I'm alright. Just...tired really."

"Would you like me to go, so you can get some rest?" Lena said, trying to hide the slight disappointment in her voice.

"No! No, definitely not. Please don't go. U...unless you're tired a...and want to..." Kara said, stumbling over her words.

"I'm happy to stay Kara, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't keeping you from resting." After a moment, Lena added, "Are you sure you're ok?"

Kara couldn't take the worried look in Lena's eyes. She knew Lena could tell something was off, she couldn't hide it.

"It's just...my mind keeps on replaying all the events of the day. Over and over I'm re-living it. And every time there's something else I could have done to save her sooner. To prevent her from even having to face the rising water...to make sure my big sister didn't have to come to terms with dying..."

"Kara, you were under so much stress, you weren't thinking clearly. Plus, it's not possible to always know what is right. You followed your heart. The important thing is that you did save Alex, you got her back. That's all that matters."

"I know...but, I was just being so stubborn with some things. It was so unlike me. Maggie tried to get me to think things through more...I just didn't listen. It's my faut Alex almost drowned."

Kara was shaking now and here eyes were becoming shinny with tears. She felt sick to her stomach even, realizing just how much more difficult she had made things for her sister.

"Hey, hey. Come here," Lena said softly, reaching out and pulling Kara into a hug that turned into Kara's head resting on Lena's chest and Lena rubbed little circles on her back. "Nothing that happened to Alex today is your fault. It's the fault of that psychotic man who kidnapped her."

"She probably wouldn't have even been taken if it wasn't for me...she was following me home after I stormed out of her apartment. If I had just stayed...if I had made up with Maggie...none of this would have happened," Kara said with a sob.

"Shhhh, Kara, that man said he had been planning this for a while. If he didn't do it today, he would have found another way. It's not your fault."

"Maggie and Alex probably hate me..."

With that, Lena gently moved Kara back into a seated position so she could look Kara in the eye. She reached out and bushed Kara's disheveled hair away from her forehead before bringing her hand down to wipe away a tear rolling down Kara's cheek.

"Now you're just being ridiculous. Both of them love you so much! You know that. I don't think anything you could do would make them hate you."

Kara shoulders dropped in defeat. Lena was right, Kara was being irrational. She just couldn't help but blame herself. But, at this point, she was just too tired to argue anymore. The crying had drained the last bit of energy she had left. So, all she did was nod weakly, agreeing with Lena.

Lena knew Kara needed some rest, but wasn't about to leave her alone in this state. Instead, she patted her hand on her lap and said, "Come here, lay down. Even if you don't sleep yet, you can at least relax some. It could help."

Kara was surprised her friend was so willing to facilitate this level of physical contact. But, Lena's hand on her back was so comforting. And when she rested her head on the CEO's lap, her other hand came up to stroke Kara's hair. Immediately, she felt her body relaxing. The two sat there for a while, watching Buffy and enjoying the distraction. After a while, Lena felt Kara's breathing starting to slow.

"Are you falling asleep, Kara?"

"Mmmm," was the only response Lena got.

"Why don't we get you to bed and I'll head home?" Lena offered.

"Mmm...please stay," Kara mumbled, snuggling closer to Lena's stomach.

Lena smiled, sleepy Kara was so adorable.

"Alright, I'll stay. But, you still have to go to bed. Where are the spare sheets, so I can get situated out here?"

"You can stay in my bed...with me," Kara said, still mumbling. It took her a second to process what she had just said. When her brain managed to catch up, she sat up quickly, eyes wide. "That is...if you want a...and if you're ok with...you don't have to..." Kara rambled.

Lena's smile just grew.

"I'll stay in your bed if you'd like."

"Really?"

"Sure."

"Th...thank you. It's just...for some reason...having you here...next to me...is helping me stay calm. Helping me to not overthink..." Kara admitted, looking down at her fingers.

"I'm happy to help Kara," Lena said.

Kara stood and walked to her room, offering Lena a pair of pajamas before walking into her bathroom to get ready for bed. When she emerged, Lena had changed and was sitting on the edge of Kara's bed. She stood, allowing Kara to pull back the covers and climb in. Lena laid down next to her and pulled the covers up around them.

Kara inched closer to Lena until they were nearly touching. Lena, sensing Kara was looking for some physical contact again, wrapped her arm around Kara's shoulders and positioned her so that her head was on Lena's chest once more. Kara snuggled close, smiling.

"Good night Kara," Lena whispered.

"Good night Lena and thank you," Kara whispered back.

They quickly drifted off to sleep, both comforted by the other's presence. Not yet questioning why they felt the way they did.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry this update took a bit longer! It was the last week of my semester, so I had to focus a bit more. But here's the next chapter!! I hope you like it!**

Maggie Sawyer woke to the sound of her girlfriend sneezing aggressively.

*Ahh-chu*

*Sniffle sniffle*

*Chu*

"Babe? You alright?" Maggie asked sitting up to see Alex still cocooned in her fuzzy blanket now with a slightly red nose and glazed eyes.

"Mmmm, I'm fine," Alex answered.

Maggie could hear the congestion in her voice. She reached over and placed the back of her hand on Alex's forehead, a gesture Alex would usually hate. But, she was still too incredibly drained to protest much. Instead she just crinkled her nose and shot Maggie a weak glare.

"You're burning up Alex...how long have you been awake like this?"

"Hmmm...just an hour or two," Alex answered casually.

"Why didn't you wake me?!" Maggie exclaimed.

"You needed sleep too...we can't have the both of us getting sick..." Alex said with a sad look on her face from Maggie's tone.

"Sweetie, if you're not feeling well, you can always wake me up. Part of my job is to take care of you," Maggie said gentler this time, moving her hand up to stroke Alex's hair. "Can I get you anything? Tea? More soup?"

"Mmm not hungry..." Alex said, pouting a bit now because she was feeling worse by the minute.

"Ok, do you want me to call your sister? She said she was gonna check up on you. I can see when she plans to get here."

"Yeah, that'd be good," Alex said. Her little sister had always somehow managed to make her feel better when she was sick.

"Ok, while I do that, do you want to go take a hot shower? The steam could help you feel better..."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Alex said, unwrapping herself from her blanket and shivering as body was exposed to the air.

Maggie watches as Alex carefully walked to the bathroom before dialing Kara's number.

 _Meanwhile at Kara's apartment..._

Kara awoke to find herself still curled up in Lena's arms. Had she really just spent the night snuggled up so close to her friend? That's totally normal, right? Girls have sleepovers...and they can cuddle...to comfort each other, right?

Kara's thoughts were interrupted by her phone ringing.

"Hey, Maggie. Is everything ok? Is Alex alright?" Kara asked hurriedly.

"Yeah, she's alright. Just feeling a bit under the weather. She wanted me to call you to see when you were planning on stopping by."

"Under the weather?"

"Yeah, I think she's just catching a cold from being stuck in the tank. You know how she gets when she's sick though."

"Ohh, yes. I'll be there within the hour," Kara offered, laughing slightly. Her sister, although one of the toughest people she knows, is an absolute baby when she's sick.

"See ya then Little Danvers."

Lena had watched Kara while she was on the phone, taking careful note of the her facial expressions.

"Everything alright?" Lena asked after Kara hung up.

"Yeah, Maggie is just a bit worried about Alex I think. She seems to be coming down with something. I have to go over there and check in on her soon."

"Poor thing! I'm sure you'll want to go see her as soon as possible, I'll leave you to it then."

Kara didn't want Lena to leave quite yet. The woman somehow was still providing a significant amount of comfort just with her presence. Besides, Kara owed her for the food and for staying over. At least that's what Kara convinced herself.

"You could always come with me if you'd like? I have to stop at Noonan's on the way in order to get Alex her favorite tea with honey. It's pretty much the only thing she'll drink when she's sick. We could grab breakfast while we're there?" Kara suggested.

"I don't want to impose on your sister's space, especially if she's not feeling well. I'd love to join you for breakfast though," Lena responded.

Kara lent Lena some extra clothes and let her use the shower while Kara tidied up from the night before. Empty pot stickers boxes were strewn about and the couch was disheveled from the late night cuddle session.

Cuddle session? Kara thought, questioning the instinctual phrase she had used to describe the night before. She couldn't help but wonder why she had insisted that Lena stayed or even why she was so ok with resting her head in Lena's lap. The memory of Lena's fingers gently moving through Kara's hair made her smile. Maybe this was just what having a female friend was supposed to be like. She never did have many friends when she was young and those she did have, she wasn't very close with. Kara felt close to Lena though and Lena hadn't seemed put off by anything that had happened the night before. Kara concluded that all of it must me normal and decided not to question it any further. Still, a thought in the back of her head wouldn't quite go away.

But what about the way she makes you feel?

Lena stood in Kara's shower letting the warm water wash over her. Thoughts of the previous night crept into her mind. Sweet Kara Danvers, so certain that her sister's struggles were her own fault. So devastated at the thought that she could have caused harm to the one person who had spent their life protecting her. Seeing Kara that upset had made Lena's heart ache. She wanted to take all the pain away, to make her feel safe and secure. It seemed like she had done that at least slightly. After all, Kara had said that Lena's presence was keeping her level headed. That's why Kara had wanted her to stay.

That's the only reason Kara wanted her to stay, Lena had to remind herself. Lena had noticed recently that her feelings for Kara were growing. But, she hadn't been able to pinpoint to what extent exactly. Lena wasn't used to someone having so much faith in her. Originally, she thought it was possible her feelings for Kara were just because she finally had someone believing in her. But, over time, she realized she wasn't just reacting to the way Kara treated her. She was also reacting to who Kara was as a person, the little things that defined Kara Danvers. The crinkle she gets between her eyes when she was worried or angry or determined, the way she can seem so confident at time and yet so nervous and flustered at others, the way she rambles when she's a bit nervous, the list could go on. Everything about her was so endearing. At that, Lena had tried to convince herself that she was just appreciating Kara's personality. That she just thought Kara was a wonderful person. Lena knew deep down that there was more to it than that though, and yesterday had forced her to stop denying it. She finally had to admit to herself that she loves Kara Danvers.

But Kara doesn't love you back. Lena insisted to herself. There's no way that Kara loved her...not like that at least. Sure Kara cares about Lena and would do practically anything to keep Lena safe and happy. But, Kara doesn't like girls. And she has a boyfriend. It would be foolish of Lena to let herself entertain the possibility of her and Kara ever being more than friends. Wouldn't it?

Lena forced herself off the topic, deciding she was going to end up allowing herself to be too vulnerable. If she believed that Kara would ever be interested in her, she'd be setting herself up for heartbreak. She just knew it. So, instead she would just continue being a supportive friend.

When Lena emerged from the bathroom, she found Kara sitting on the couch watching netflix.

"Thanks for lending me clothes Kara, I left the pajamas in the hamper in the bathroom if that's ok."

"That's perfect! I'm going to go wash up," Kara said. "Watch what ever you'd like, I'll be back soon."

After Kara was ready, the pair walked down to Lena's car. Lena had offered to drive and drop Kara off at her sister's on her way to L-Corp after breakfast. Kara and Lena both ordered a donut and Lena insisted that Kara try the fresh fruit parfait. Sitting down at slightly secluded table, they began to eat and chat. Kara decided to direct the conversation away from topics of her sister, instead focusing on Lena and her life.

"I might have a new project I'm working on soon," Lena said after Kara asked how things were at L-Corp. "I'm really excited about it. If it works out it could help a lot of people...I'm just a bit hesitant because it would mean taking on a new partner."

"Oh!" Kara exclaimed, suddenly remembering the reason for Lena's call yesterday. "Is this who you wanted to ask me advice on?"

"Yes, actually. I had nearly forgotten about it until now to be honest."

"Well, ask away," Kara said, gesturing for Lena to continue.

"Alright, what happened was this woman approached me the day that everything happened with Jack. She had a proposal for a new project that in all honesty is revolutionary. I was thrilled. She offered to talk over dinner, so we made plans for the day before yesterday. The dinner went very well and I actually felt quite a connection with her. But, there were a few inconsistencies in her story...I discovered that she's actually an alien. Now, the fact that she's an alien doesn't bother me at all. In fact, partnering with an alien on a project that could be so beneficial to so many people would bring me further from the preconceived notions of my Luthor name as well as help to demonstrate that human-alien interaction in the workplace is feasible. What bothers me is that she deceived me. I have had one too many people break my trust in the past for me to easily forgive her and trust her enough to work with her. But, if I don't take the offer, I could be passing up the opportunity to help millions…"

Kara felt a twinge in her chest, how could she tell Lena to walk away from this woman when she herself is keeping her alien life a secret. Instead she decided to try to get more information.

"Did she tell you what planet she's from or anything? I know aliens from certain planets can be more trustworthy than others. Knowing more of her background before making a decision could be good," Kara suggested.

"That's true. I don't really know much about her. And something about her feels off to me. She's incredibly good at putting me at ease, but it doesn't seem right. Almost manipulative. I don't know...I could be overthinking things."

Kara could see Lena's forehead knotting as

she explained her dilemma. Instinctively, Kara reached out and grabbed Lena's hand.

"Hey, it's good that you're being cautious. This is a big decision. Making sure it's exactly what's right for you is important," Kara said, making sure to lock eyes with Lena emphasising her honesty.

"Thank you, Kara. I always appreciate your advice," Lena said, now smiling.

Kara smiled back and squeezed Lena's hand before saying, "That's what friends are for, right?"

Kara could have sworn that she saw Lena's smile slip slightly with the word _friend_. But, it could have been her mind playing tricks on her because a second later, the smile was back.

"Still, thank you!"

At this point, the pair had finished up their breakfast.

"You should get to your sister! Come on, I'll drive you!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry this update took a bit longer! I had some family responsibilities and had to get ready for graduation. I should hopefully be able to update more frequently again. I hope you enjoy! Please comment.**

Kara knocked gently on Alex's apartment door to be greeted by a disheveled Maggie.

"Hi there, how's our patient doing?" Kara asked with a wry smile.

"Come see for yourself little Danvers," Maggie responded, her eyes filled with worry.

Kara's smile dropped as she walked into the apartment and straight into Alex's room where she could see her sister curled up under her blankets. She walked over so that she could see her face. Alex's skin looked so pale it was nearly translucent, a sheen of sweat glistened on her forehead, and there were dark circles beneath her eyes. Crouching down, Kara reached out and brushed a stray hair from her forehead.

"How ya feeling sis?" Kara asked softly.

"Mmm...like garbage," Alex grumbled.

"I brought you your favorite tea, will that help you feel better?"

"I just want to sleep...and to be warm…" Alex said with a slight whine.

"Tea will help you get warm, come on. Sit up a bit. You need to keep your fluids up," Kara insisted, moving her hand to rub slow circles on Alex's back.

"She's been refusing to really eat or drink anything since she got out if the shower. I've tried everything I can think of," Maggie explained.

Kara's forehead crinkled between her eyes. This was worrisome. Usually Alex never passed up her favorite tea, no matter how sick she was.

"Alex, come on, you haven't had anything since last night. We need you to at least drink something, then you can go right back to bed," Kara tried again.

Alex squeezed her eyes shut before opening them and locking eyes with Kara. Kara could see the exhaustion in them and they couldn't quite seem to focus. Kara couldn't remember Alex ever seeming this out of it. Something didn't seem right, but Kara couldn't figure out what.

With a sigh, Alex said, "You promise?"

"Of course I promise," Kara answered holding the cup of tea out for Alex to grab.

Alex moved to sit up, but as she did, she squeezed her eyes shut again keeping them closed for a moment while firmly placing her hands on the bed to either side of her. Kara and Maggie exchanged glances.

"Are you ok babe?" Maggie asked, crawling into bed to sit next to Alex and placing her hand on her back.

"Yeah...yeah. Just a little...dizzy. It's ok, I just...just sat up too fast," Alex explained breathily.

The crease of worry deepened between Kara's eyes. Alex noticed and seemed to try to compose herself.

"I'm fine Kara. Can I have my tea?"

"Let me heat it up a bit for you," Kara said, using her heat vision to warm the drink before handing it to her sister.

Alex's hand shook as she held the cup. She tried to stop it, but she just felt so weak and so cold. She managed to drink about half of it before she had to hand it back to Kara for fear of spilling it all over the bed. As soon as the drink was out of her hand, she leaned back to rest her head against the wall behind the bed and pulled the blanket up so that her arms were covered.

"Maggie and I will leave you here to rest a bit Alex, we'll just be in the living room. If you need anything just ask, ok?"

Alex just nodded and scooched down until she was able to curl up with her head on her pillow again. Kara motioned for Maggie to follow Kara out of the room.

"Has she been like this all morning?" Kara asked quietly as soon as they were out of earshot.

"She's been getting worse throughout the day. Earlier it seemed like just a normal cold...now I'm not sure."

"I've never seen her like this before, not even when she had pneumonia when we were kids."

"What do you think we should do?" Maggie asked, her chest aching with concern.

"For now, I'd say we monitor her. If her fever spikes or her symptoms worsen any more, I'll fly her to the DEO."

"In the meantime?"

"We try our best to relax?"

At that Maggie laughed drily. How could she possibly relax when her girlfriend, who just barely escaped a certain death yesterday, was so sick and so miserable today. They should have been able to spend the day enjoying themselves, appreciating the life they've been building together. Not wondering whether or not Alex's life is in danger once again.

"Have you eaten anything yet today?"

Kara's question interrupted Maggie's thoughts.

"No, I've been too busy trying to take care of Alex."

"Well then, come on. We can't have you ending up in the hospital too!" Kara said, walking towards the kitchen. "Is there anything you're hungry for?"

"Honestly, I'm too worried to eat. Thanks for the concern though little Danvers," Maggie answered.

At that, Kara stopped and turned around to look Maggie in the eyes. She reached out and gripped Maggie's shoulders, holding the smaller woman in place.

"Maggie, Alex is going to get through this. She's been through much tougher situations and now she has a bigger advantage than she ever has before. She has you and I both to look after her. I promise you, we will make sure that she is safe. But, in order to do that, we have to make sure that we take care of ourselves too. Neither of us got much rest or food yesterday, we're already starting out with a deficit. And you know that Alex wouldn't be happy if she knew you weren't eating."

Kara sounded confident, but her eyes gave her away. Maggie had been around long enough to tell when either of the Danvers sisters were terrified out of their mind for the other. Still, Maggie knew Kara was right. At least about them having to take care of themselves.

"You've got a point there. Fine, let's see what she has."

After a bit of contemplation, the pair settled on some vegan ice cream Alex had stashed in her freezer. While Kara usually wasn't one to go for anything less than traditional ice cream, their options were limited. And ice cream seemed like perfect comfort food despite it's lacking in nutritional value. Maggie went and checked on a sleeping Alex before Kara and her settled down on the couch and flipped on the TV. Kara took the time to check her phone and noticed she had a text from Lena.

How's your sister doing?

Not very well, but Maggie and I are taking care of her.

The next response came quickly.

Is there anything I can do to help?

I don't think so, but thank you! If I think of anything, I'll let you know.

Of course! Anything for you.

The three small dots indicating Lena was still typing didn't go away, so Kara waited for the next message.

How are you holding up?

It was a simple question, but Kara was a bit surprised. She didn't realize just how much Lena understood her, understood that if something was wrong with Alex, Kara would be having a hard time too.

I'm hanging in there. Just trying to make sure she's ok.

Make sure you take care of yourself too. I will spontaneously show up at your house with food again if I suspect you aren't.

Kara smiled at her phone, amused by Lena offering the same advice Kara had just given Maggie and by the weak threat of Lena bringing her food.

I promise, I'll take care of myself.

Good! I'll talk to you in a bit.

The conversation ended there, but Kara sat there re-reading the messages. Why did a simple conversation make her feel so much better?

"Who are you talking to that can make you smile like that?" Maggie asked.

"Oh, uhhh, no one," Kara tried.

"Bull shit, anyone who can make you that happy when you're as worried as you are about your sister is definitely someone. Come on, is it Mon-El?"

"No way! Mon-El isn't the best at being a comforting presence. If you must know...it's Lena. She was just checking up on Alex and I."

"Really? Lena who dropped everything to help us yesterday is now sending you little texts to check in. Sounds like someone has a crush…"

"What?! No way! Lena can't possibly have a crush on me...she's too...too Lena!" Kara exclaimed for lack of a better word.

Maggie glanced at Kara and cocked an eyebrow.

"Too Lena?" Maggie remarked.

"Yes! She's too smart and pretty and powerful to ever even consider me as anything other than a friend. She just knows me as the awkward reporter girl…"

"She sees you as more than that and you know it. You're the one person who has ever actually been there for her. To her, you mean the world."

"But…"

"No buts! The only question is, do you like her?"

Kara just stared at Maggie, eyes wide and cheeks turning red.

"Well, that answers that," Maggie laughed and scooped a big glob of ice cream into her mouth.

"No, no, no...that answers nothing! I never said that I like her too and yeah...I think she's incredible. But that's because she's an amazing friend! And there is no possible way that she could like me like that anyway. I don't even think she likes girls...and I don't like girls either! So, it's not possible. Not at all."

Maggie watched as Kara rambled, waiting for her to stop. When Kara ended with a huffing breath, Maggie spoke.

"Sorry Little Danvers, from what I can tell she definitely has a thing for you. But, you know her better than I do. So, I guess I could be wrong. It's just something to think about."

The pair fell into silence, Kara chewing on her lower lip and absent mindedly watching the screen. Thoughts of Lena swam through her head mixed with the intense worry for her sister's wellbeing.

Do I like Lena? She's just so incredible. She's accomplished so much despite all of the problems with her family and the stress that has brought her. I don't think I know anyone quite as smart as her. Except for maybe Alex who would certainly protest...oh Alex...I hope she's doing ok. Maybe sleeping will help her feel better...she needs to eat something though. Or at least drink some tea...I can't believe Lena threatened to bring me food again. I really wouldn't protest that though. She has a way of knowing what will make me feel better. I don't know how she does it. I don't think I would have slept last night if it wasn't for her being by my side...Ohh Rao, I slept cuddled up with Lena Luthor. Like completely snuggling her. Does that mean something? I don't know...I can't figure that out now...I'm too worried about Alex. Maybe I should go check on her soon. If her fever is any higher she needs to go get checked out…

Alex's voice calling weakly from the bedroom made both Kara and Maggie spring up from their seats.

"Kara? Maggie? Where are you?" they had heard.

Kara let Maggie reach the bed first. She sat down on the edge and grabbed Alex's hand.

"Hey, hey...we're right here. Are you ok?"

"I'm...I'm ok...I was just having a really terribly vivid nightmare...I...I thought I killed you...both of you…" Alex said. She was shaking and tear stains could be seen on her face.

Kara sat down on Alex's other side and pulled her in for a hug.

"It's ok...shhh, it's over now," Kara offered trying to sooth her now sobbing sister.

Alex broke the hug to look at Maggie. Maggie squeezed Alex's hand and leaned in to kiss her gently. Maggie's free hand reached up and brushed away the hair that was now plastered to Alex's forehead.

"We've got you. We won't let you do anything you wouldn't normally do," Maggie assured her, seeing that Alex was worried her dream was a warning. "How are you feeling?"

Alex took a moment to assess her current state of health. The adrenaline from the dream was wearing off and she could feel the energy it had offered slipping away.

"I feel...awful. My...my head is pounding and everything aches. I'm still so cold and tired."

Maggie instinctively pulled Alex close to her allowing her to rest her head on her chest.

"I'm sorry babe, do you feel up to eating anything? Or having any more of your tea?"

"The thought of eating makes me nauseous...but I could have a bit more tea."

Kara nodded and grabbed the cup from the bedside table, quickly heating it for her sister.

"Before we give this to you, we should check your temperature," Kara suggested.

Alex nodded and Maggie grabbed the thermometer from the other side table. The three of them sat, waiting for the beeping noise to indicate the thermometer was registering a constant temperature. When the beep sounded, Maggie took the plastic device from under Alex's tongue and read it. Alex and Kara could both see her shocked and scared reaction.

"How bad is it?" Alex asked quietly.

"105.3...Alex, we have to get you to the DEO."

Before Alex had a minute to resist, Kara began to lift her up taking the blankets with her to make sure Alex wouldn't be too exposed to the air as they flew.

"I'll meet you there as soon as I can," Maggie stated.

Alex reached out to grip onto her sister's shirt. She nuzzled her head in close to Kara's chest taking in the warmth Kara's kryptonian body provided.

"Kara...I'm scared…" Alex said.

"Me too," Kara muttered right before walking to the balcony and taking off into the afternoon sky.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I hope you all like this chapter! Enjoy :)**

Kara landed as softly as possible on the DEO balcony. Maggie had called ahead as soon as Kara had taken off, so she was greeted with a full med team as well as a concerned Winn and J'onn.

"Hey guys, are you all here for me?" Alex said with a weak smile.

"You know it!" Winn responded, trying to sound cheerful.

"We're all worried about you, we're going to make sure you're well taken care of," J'onn added.

Alex just nodded and Kara placed her gently on the gurney like bed the med team had prepared. Before they rolled Alex into the examination room, Kara squeezed her hand silently reassuring her that everything will be alright.

"How long has she been like this?" J'onn asked

"Maggie said she was sick this morning when they woke up, but it seemed like a normal cold at first. Her condition has been declining all day," Kara explained, surprised at her ability to stay calm.

"I know you don't have a medical background, but do you have any idea what this could be?"

"I'm worried it might be an alien virus of some sort. The way it's worsening so quickly and severely, I feel like if it was terrestrial Alex's body would be fighting it much better than it is."

"Of course our best scientist can't even help us out with this because she's the one who's sick!" J'onn exclaimed, his frustration getting to him.

"We could call in Eliza, she would know how to handle it if it is alien. But, I'd rather we try to figure out the origin of it first. I don't want to worry her if it isn't necessary."

"I think that's a good call, we'll see what the med team can find out. Hopefully they can manage to control her symptoms. It'd make things a little easier on her."

At that moment, Maggie strode into the DEO control room greeting J'onn with a nodd and Kara with a hug.

"How's she doing?" Maggie asked.

"She's in with the med team now, they're going to do all they can," J'onn answered.

"Do we think that this could be an alien threat?" Maggie asked.

"I think it's entirely possible," Kara said.

"We should go check out the cell she was being kept in yesterday, get as many samples as possible of the water and the sediment on the ground. Chances are, if it is alien, she was exposed to it there," Maggie suggested.

"Good idea, I'll send a team. Would either of you like to head it?" said J'onn.

"One of us should stay here to be here for Alex," Maggie said, looking to Kara for her response.

"I agree, would you like to stay Maggie? I can get back here faster if anything happens," Kara offered.

"Sounds good. I'll see what I can do to help here," Maggie said.

When Kara landed in front of the building she had just rescued her sister from the day before, she felt a chill run down her back. She had been so terrified at the time that she would never get to see her sister alive again, that she would never be able to hear the sound of her heartbeat. Now she had a similar fear. But, at least this time she felt like they had more control. She entered the building, not waiting for the rest of the team to get there. They were likely not far behind. Looking around, she took in far more details than she had been able to previously The air felt cool, but humid. Likely due to the seemingly perpetually damp floor and the lack of clear windows. The floor seemed to be caked in a combination of mud and animal excrement. The walls were high and concrete, also covered in a layer of grime. It wouldn't be at all surprising if any sort of virus or infection, alien or not, had been contracted here. The team arrived while Kara was still walking around, observing what should be collected. She directed them to obtain samples from essentially everything they could. Surface swabs, soil samples, and water samples were carefully placed into vials and baggies labeled EVIDENCE in big red letters. They were getting ready to leave when Kara noticed a small piece of plastic or metal laying on the ground. She put on a glove and picked it up, noticing traces of blood. Figuring anything could have caused Alex's illness, she placed it in an evidence bag and directed the team to clear out.

Meanwhile, back at the DEO, Maggie had gone into Alex's examination room. There Alex laid wrapped tightly in her blanket, now with an IV pumping her full of fluids. She smiled weakly when Maggie walked in and reached out her hand, needing the physical contact of her girlfriend.

A doctor approached Maggie, looking down at Alex's chart.

"We're currently running a series of tests to try to identify the cause of Ms. Danvers's illness. In the meantime, we've started her on a saline solution to bring her fluids back up to normal levels and a course of general antibiotics. If possible the illness is bacterial in origin, in which case, we'll start to see an improvement over the next few days. If it isn't bacterial, we'll have to try different methods of treatment. We also have her on an antihistamine to attempt to reduce her fever."

"Thank you, please let us know if you figure anything else out."

The doctor nodded and then left the pair by themselves.

"Can you sit up here with me?" Alex asked, pulling her girlfriend closer and scooching over so Maggie could fit.

"Of course, Alex."

Maggie slid into the bed next to Alex and wrapped her arm around her shoulders so Alex could rest her head on her chest.

"Is it ok if I fall asleep on you?"

Maggie nodded and said, "I'll be here when you wake up."

Alex responded by snuggling closer and letting out a deep sigh. It didn't take long for her to doze off while Maggie gently rubbed circles into her shoulder with her thumb. The steady beeping from Alex's machines kept Maggie from panicking. But, every once in awhile she'd reach over with her free hand and brush her fingers across Alex's forehead, checking to see if her temperature had fluctuated at all. Thankfully, it actually seemed to be lowering ever so slightly. Unless that was Maggie's imagination being too hopeful.

A little while later, Kara came in. Alex was still asleep, so she was sure to whisper.

"Did they find anything?"

"Not yet, they're running some tests now. She seems like she's stabilizing a bit though, she hasn't gotten any worse since we brought her here. If anything, she may be doing better."

"Good, I sent all of our samples to the lab. They'll likely do some cross analysis to see if anything matches Alex's illness.Especially if anything seems out of the ordinary. I wish we would have brought her in sooner, maybe we could have saved her some suffering…"

Maggie took note of the guilty and pained look on Kara's face.

"Hey, Kara, there's no way we could have known how bad it would get. It started out like a normal cold. Besides, Alex wanted to be at home. You know she wouldn't have gone willingly any sooner than we took her."

"Yeah...I know. I just…"

"Kara?" Alex's quiet voice interrupted.

"Hey Alex! How're you feeling?" Kara asked softly as Maggie moved to help Alex sit up a bit.

"A little bit better actually. Still awful...like I got hit by a truck really. But, more focused. I feel like a fog has been lifted. And, I'm also sorta hungry," Alex answered.

Kara and Maggie both smiled, having an apatite was a good sign and Alex certainly seemed more herself.

"What are you hungry for babe?" Maggie asked. "I can make sure to get you anything you want."

"Honestly, chinese food sounds fantastic."

"Ok, you must be feeling a lot better if you want chinese food!" Kara exclaims, taking a deep breath and allowing herself to relax a bit.

"I'll go pick it up, Kara you stay here this time," Maggie offers, already walking out the door.

"Check if Winn and J'onn want anything! And let them know that Alex is doing a bit better," Kara calls out. "I'm so happy you're doing better by the way. You had me so scared," she added just to Alex with a huge grin. But, something inside her wouldn't let her fully believe that they were out of the woods quite yet.

"Thank you for taking care of me and for bringing me here sis, I don't know what I'd do without you and Maggie."

"You know we've always got your back."

While Maggie was out getting food, J'onn and Winn both came in to talk to Alex and to see for themselves that she was doing better. J'onn offered to bring a TV into Alex's room so that she could have something to entertain herself while she rested. Maggie returned and passed out everyone's orders while they decided to gather in Alex's room for an episode of Person of Interest.

"Make sure you don't eat too fast," Maggie warned Alex. "You haven't eaten anything in awhile, you don't want to shock your system."

"I know!" Alex said, sounding slightly annoyed but smiling anyway. She couldn't believe how many people she had that cared about her so much. She felt incredibly lucky.

Kara took this time to check her phone again, she hadn't had the chance to since earlier that day. Once again, there was a text from Lena.

 **Is everything going ok?**

 _Everything is great! Things were rough a little earlier, we had to bring Alex to the doctor. But, it seems like she's doing a lot better._

 **I'm glad! And you have been looking out for yourself?**

 _I have, I promise_.

 **Good, let me know if there's anything I can do still.**

 _Thank you Lena, I truly appreciate it._

After they finished eating, J'onn and Winn got back to work while Maggie and Kara stayed with Alex. For a while, the trio sat silently watching the television as if it was any other night. That was, until Maggie broke the silence.

"Soooo, Lena Luthor has been checking in on your baby sister," Maggie said playfully to Alex.

Alex raised an eyebrow, looking at Kara. Kara could feel the blush creeping into her cheeks again.

"I said that I think someone might have a little crush, but Kara seems to disagree," Maggie added. "Kara doesn't think she's good enough for Lena."

"Kara?! You're Supergirl. Not just that, you're Kara Danvers, one of the sweetest most caring people I know. Lena would be lucky to have you."

"It's not that I think I'm not good enough for her, I just don't think she has a crush on me. Besides, I don't like her like that...I don't think," Kara explained rather matter of factly until the last three words. "There's too much going on right now to worry about that anyways, I have to make sure you keep getting better."

"Kara...do you remember when I came out to you and I was so unsure about how Maggie felt about me?"

"Yeah…"

"Do you remember what you said to me?"

"Go get the girl…" Kara mumbled. "This is different though! That was just a simple alien attack, I wasn't sick or injured or anything. I hadn't just spent the whole day before trapped in a tank of rising water. I have to take care of you."

"I appreciate the concern Kara, but really I'm doing a lot better."

"They still haven't figured out the results of your tests yet. I want to be sure you're ok. I'll have plenty of time to figure out my feelings...or whatever...for Lena later."

Alex could tell that that was the end of the conversation. Her sister didn't liked to be pushed so hard to question something she's likely already questioning, especially when it isn't on her own terms. Alex and Maggie should both let her figure this one out on her own, they can be there for her when she decides what her truth is.

"Ok Kara, just know, we're here for you no matter what," Alex said.

Kara looked a little surprised that Alex had given up so easily.

"Yeah, little Danvers. Sorry for giving you a hard time. I just think it's sweet that the Luthor cares about you so much. That woman tends to come across as hardened, but for you she's soft. It's nice to see," Maggie states.

Once again, Kara looked surprised. This time, at the both of them.

"Th...thank you guys," she stuttered.

"Anytime," Maggie and Alex said together.

They all turned their attention back to the TV.

By this time it was getting pretty late, the sun had long since set and Alex could feel exhaustion setting back in, her body still fighting off whatever it was making her sick. Maggie was back in the bed with Alex who's head was tucked under Maggie's chin. Kara was curled up on the couch on the side of the room. Alex yawned deeply.

"Getting sleepy?" Maggie asked.

Alex just nodded.

"Go to sleep then," Maggie said, placing a kiss on the top of Alex's head.

"Will you stay with me?" Alex asked, her dwindling energy and aching body making her dread the moment her girlfriend would leave her side.

"Always."

Alex smiled at that. Before she let herself drift off though, she called out to Kara.

"Kara, are you awake?"

"Hmm?" Kara mumbled, obviously half asleep.

"Do you intend to spend the entire night on that couch?"

"Mmmhmmm, it's comfy," Kara responded. What she really meant was that the rhythmic beeping of the machines and the steady thumping of Alex's heart was comforting enough to be lulling her to sleep.

"Ok then, good night everyone. I love you," Alex said, practically whispering.

"We love you too," Maggie and Kara said.

The three of them quickly fell into a deep sleep.

That is until erratic beeping and Alex's body thrashing in the bed woke both Maggie and Kara up with a start.

"What...what's going on?" Kara cried.

Maggie jumped out of bed and stared at her girlfriend horrified, shaking with fear as she watched Alex convulse.

A doctor came rushing into the room.

"Clear the room, we have to get the med team in here. She's having a seizure...and she's crashing."

 **I'm sorry!! It's another cliffhanger guys, I just couldn't help it. They'll all be a little less in the dark next chapter though!! I'll update as soon as possible. Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's the next chapter! Let me know what you think! Thank you all so much for reading. Enjoy!**

Kara and Maggie stood just outside the examination room clinging to each other, not knowing if either of them would be able to remain standing if the other stepped away. They watched through the window as the doctors and nurses, somehow exceedingly calm, rushed around calling out orders, strapping Alex to the bed so that her thrashing didn't cause her to land on the floor, and administering medications.

"I need 20 cc's of benzodiazepine," called one doctor.

"Get her restrained," said another.

There was so much movement, so much organized chaos. Then Alex's body stopped convulsing, she laid still, her heart monitor beeping sporadically for a minute and then slowed before letting out that long dreaded continuous beep. Kara froze, straining even her super hearing, trying to hear even the faintest flutter of her sister's heart. There was nothing. Kara felt like her world was crashing in all around her. All at once she felt like a little girl again, watching as Krypton burned. Maggie let out a sob and turned to bury her face in Kara's shirt. Kara felt her knees weaken, super strength is no use when when you can barely focus on breathing. She guided them both slowly to the floor. There they sobbed into each other's arms, no longer able to bare watching as the doctors tried desperately to get Alex's heart beating again.

"I need the crash kit...NOW!"

"Ok, ready? CLEAR!"

The sound of the electrical shock running through Alex's body made Kara gasp. She could hear Alex's hear give out a single thump thump before falling silent again.

"Again...CLEAR!"

Stronger this time, thump thump, thump thump, thump thump...silence.

"AGAIN! CLEAR!"

Finally the steady beeping came back and Kara listened as her sister's heart beat strong again.

"Maggie...Maggie, they did it. They brought her back," Kara said gently, guiding Maggie to a seated position.

The pair of them stood to look in through the window. Sure enough, Maggie could see the consistent rise and fall of Alex's chest with each breath. But still she laid limp, an oxygen mask over her face, her skin tinted slightly blue. The doctor came out of the room, approaching Kara and Maggie carefully.

"She's stable now, but is unconscious. We need to run some more tests, get her through an MRI in order to determine if there's any sort of lasting damage. The seizure itself was not enough to leave her permanently impaired. But, there is a chance that her crashing after could have caused some problems," the doctor said bluntly, knowing that both women in front of him would appreciate him cutting to the chase.

"Do what you have to do doctor," Kara said.

"Are there any results from yesterday's tests yet?" Maggie added, looking up through her tear reddened eyes with a look of fierce determination.

"Everything appeared normal, even her blood work. We are, however, working on a more detailed analysis in order to identify any alien DNA or RNA."

"Is there any way that we can help?" asked Kara.

"Not unless you have a way to analyze these samples faster," the doctor said before walking away.

Maggie stepped away from Kara and turned to speak, but stopped when she noticed Kara staring into Alex's room looking inquisitive.

"What are you thinking little Danvers?"

"Lena…" was the only thing Kara said, not moving her eyes from her sister.

"Lena? What about Lena?" Maggie said, feeling annoyance start to rise up inside of her. Now was not the time for Kara to be thinking of her little crush.

"She...she has this machine. This invention. It was meant to identify aliens from humans. All you had to do was place a finger on it and it would analyze the DNA…"

"Do you think it could help us at least figure out if Alex's illness is alien?"

"Only one way to find out," Kara said, pulling out her phone.

Despite the fact that it was only 3 am, Lena answered her phone on the first ring.

"Hello? Kara? Is everything alright?" she asked rushedly.

"No...no it's not. But, I don't have time to explain right now. Do you still have your device that could recognized aliens based on their DNA using just a finger?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Do you think it could be used to identify an alien virus or infection in a blood sample?"

"I'd have to do a few modifications on it, but yes. It certainly could be," Lena answered, sounding curious. "Do you think Alex is sick with an alien illness?"

"Yes and the technology we have isn't fast enough. Lena, if there is any way you could modify the device…"

Lena didn't let her finish before she said, "I'll have it done as soon as possible. Give me about an hour. How will I get it to you?"

At this, Kara paused. She hadn't thought this far ahead. Lena doesn't know about the DEO, she just knows that Alex works for the government. She'd be breaking protocol if she had Lena come here, sending Supergirl seemed a bit suspicious, she could pick it up as Kara...but that felt impractical.

"Supergirl will come pick it up," Kara said, finally deciding.

Lena wanted to question why Supergirl was currently involved, but choose not to. Instead she said, "I'll have it ready for her." After a pause she added softly, "How bad is she?"

"She's unconscious but stable. Her uh...her heart stopped…they had to bring her back..." Kara explained, her voice cracking.

"Oh Kara, I'm so sorry," Lena breathed.

"It's...it's ok...she...she's gonna be ok."

"Of course she is. She's strong, she'll get through this," Lena said, recognizing Kara's need for reassurance. "I'll go get working on this device and I'll call you once it's finished, ok?"

"Thank you Lena, for everything," Kara said before hanging up.

Neither Kara nor Maggie knew what to do with themselves at that point. They had about a half hour before Alex would be done with her MRI. Kara decided to do a sweep of the city, she had been neglecting her Supergirl duties all day. Not that anyone questioned it, but Kara felt the need to fly anyway. She offered for Maggie to come with her, but Maggie declined. She was never a big fan of heights. Instead, Maggie went to the MRI center and watched through a window in a separate room as Alex lay in the large clunking machine. When Kara got back from her sweep, she joined Maggie in the MRI area. Soon the machine stopped its noises and the doctor came over to talk with Kara and Maggie.

"It appears as if Alex has some swelling and lesions on her brain. These could be the result of or the cause of the seizure she experienced. Right now the swelling is minor, we're going to try to just keep her head elevated and keep her fluids up. But, if the swelling worsens at all, we may have to relieve some of the pressure."

"Relive some of the pressure? How?" Kara asked.

Maggie seemed to understand the severity of the situation a bit more and grasped Kara's hand before explaining.

"They'd have to drill a hole in her head in order to drain some of the fluid in her skull."

"Ohh Rao…" Kara said, her face paling slightly.

"We're going to run some more test and take fresh blood work, hopefully we can figure out what the cause of this is," the doctor stated. "But right now, we're no where closer to even diagnosing her."

Kara's phone rang before anyone could respond. She answered it quickly knowing without looking that it would be Lena.

"Hello," Kara said.

"It's ready," Lena responded.

"I'll send Supergirl right away. Thank you again, so much. I don't know how I can repay you."

"Don't be silly Kara, you've got my back and I've got yours. No need for repayment. I'll talk to you soon. Let me know if you need anything else."

Kara hung up, turning to Maggie who simply gave her a nod before Kara had a chance to explain.

With that, she changed into her super suit and took off from the DEO balcony. It didn't take long for her to reach Lena's office at L-Corp. She landed carefully to see the balcony doors were already open. Lena was standing at her desk wearing silky black pajamas and looking down at her device. She looked up when she heard Supergirl walk in. Kara was careful to control her facial expressions as she approached. She stood up straighter and prepared to use her Supergirl voice, which was just a slightly lower and more commanding version of her normal voice.

"Supergirl, here's the device. I managed to adjust the parameters so that not only will it identify even trace levels of alien DNA or RNA, but it will identify the planet of origin as well. I used a generalized database of alien genetics to program the system. Not every planet is represented, but it may help to narrow things down."

"Thank you. Kara, Maggie, and I are incredibly grateful. You very well may have helped to save Alex's life."

"Of course, anything I can do to help," Lena said. Pausing she added, "How is she holding up?"

"Alex is still in stable condition still. Although they've detected some swelling on her brain. We're hoping to be able to start treatment before this worsens."

Lena nodded, taking in what Supergirl had just said.

"And what about Kara?" Lena asked.

At that, Kara's composure slipped. She had been prepared to talk about Alex, not about herself. She tried to refocus, but it was too late. Lena had noticed the flash of fear and sadness and worry in Supergirl's was all it took. She had had her suspicions before, but was never certain. She knew Kara Danvers well enough though to recognize that look and that little crinkle that was quickly forming in Supergirl's brow.

"Kara?" Lena asked softly, stepping closer.

Kara took a step back, her poise falling away completely. Her shoulders slouched and she looked down at the ground anticipating Lena's expected anger from being kept in the dark.

"I'm so sorry Lena, I wanted to tell you. I really did. I just couldn't...not yet at least…" Kara said, daring herself to raise her head to meet Lena's eyes.

To her surprise, when Kara finally looked at Lena, her eyes were filled with care and concern.

"Kara, it's ok. You're such a public figure. Keeping your true identity private is important. I have to admit, there have been other times I've questioned Supergirl's correlation to you. I just assumed you'd tell me when you were ready if my suspicions were true. But, to see you standing here trying to hold a brave face...you never were good at lying Kara. Especially not to the people who care about you."

"Y...you're not mad?"

"A little hurt that you never felt like you could tell me, but I understand."

"But, you were so mad about the alien woman who wanted to be your partner."

"Kara, she's just a normal alien. Yes, there is the reputation that comes with the Luthor name. But, she had no real reason to keep her true identity private. You are the hero of national city, you've needed to take all precautions to keep yourself secret in order to maintain your human life."

Kara let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Lena could see this was all a bit much for Kara, she was already dealing with enough from her sister. Now, Lena finding out her true identity was emotional in a whole different way.

Lena walked up to Kara, who didn't back away this time, and gave her a big hug. Kara melted into it, enjoying the comfort of Lena's arms. But, the affection made it harder to stay strong. Lena felt Kara's body start to shake as she held back tears. Keeping hold on Kara's shoulders she moved so she could look her in the eye.

"We'll all get through this," Lena said, brushing a stray tear from Kara's cheek.

All Kara could do was nod. Lena pulled her into a second hug, squeezing gently. It was during this whole encounter that Kara realized exactly how she felt about Lena. She couldn't deny it anymore, she was in love with Lena Luthor. The woman was amazing in every way. She had just worked for an hour at 3 am to help save her sister after spending the entire day helping to find her just the other day. Then she knew her so well that she could see right through her disguise and is doing what she can to try to help Kara feel better. Lena's presence brought so much comfort and Kara wanted to just stand there in that embrace forever. But, too soon, Lena was stepping away.

"You should get going, you've got a sister to save," Lena said, matter-of-factly.

Kara nodded, looking like she was contemplating something.

"Come with me?" Kara asked, la hopeful tone in her voice.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? Doesn't your sister work for the FBI? I doubt I'd be welcome in their facilities…"

Kara shook her head, "She doesn't work for the FBI…" Kara's heart raced, knowing she was breaking so many regulations of the DEO. But, Lena may be able to help more. She's proven her loyalty and that she can be beneficial. "She works for a secret government agency known as the DEO...Department of Extra-Normal Operations. I promise you, I will make sure no one gives you a hard time. I just think you could help us save her faster."

"Just let me change," Lena responded as she reached into her desk and pulled out a pair of jeans and shirt.

It wasn't long before the pair were standing on the L-Corp balcony, Lena holding her device carefully.

"Ready?" Kara asked.

"Ready," Lena answered.

Kara gently scooped Lena into her arms and took off across the sky.


	8. Chapter 8

**I give you...the next chapter! I hope you enjoy and thank you all again for reading.**

 **I should note, Kara and Mon-El are not in a relationship in this fic.**

As Kara flew she tried to control the emotions she was feeling from holding Lena so close. As soon as Kara's feet had left the ground, Lena had tucked her head under Kara's chin and turned into her shoulder so as to block her eyes from the view. Kara had felt her heart drop as she remembered how much Lena was afraid of flying.

"Hey, you ok?" she asked softly.

Lena just nodded into Kara's chest.

"I'm sorry, I hate to admit it, but I had forgotten you're afraid of flying. You could have said something! We didn't have to fly," Kara said, tightening her grip slightly hoping to provide some level of comfort and safety.

"It's ok. Flying is faster," Lena responded, nuzzling into the crook of Kara's neck, her only solace knowing that Kara would do anything to protect her.

Soon they landed outside the DEO. Kara carefully place Lena on the ground next to her. Lena straightened her hair and clothes before correcting her posture and slipping back into powerful CEO mode. She didn't know anything about this place, but she figured it was safe to assume they'd respect a confident woman over a nervous looking girl. When Lena was ready, Kara and her strode into the DEO building together.

Winn was the first to see them, he scurried up next to Kara and said, "Ummm, Supergirl?"

Kara looked at Winn and answered, "It's ok Winn, she knows."

"Oh, uhhh, ok. You know J'onn...err uhhh...Hank probably isn't going to be too happy about this."

"Hank will have to deal with it, she's helping us save Alex again," Kara said sternly.

Winn just nodded, then smiled and waved at Lena before returning to his desk.

Kara and Lena went to find Maggie is Alex's exam room. Alex was still unconscious, but Maggie was sitting there holding her hand and whispering in her ear. Maggie's voice was too soft for Lena to hear, but Kara caught every word.

"You're going to be ok babe, we're going to take care of you. Everyone here is working to find a way to make you better. Even Lena is helping again. I have a feeling you'll have a lot to catch up on with that once you're better. You just have to keep holding on. Remember, I love you. I love you so much I don't known what I would do without you. And I miss you, so very much. Please hold on for me...please…"

Kara cleared her throat as she approached the room. Maggie looked up and quickly wiped away the tears from her eyes.

"Any news?" Kara asked.

Maggie shook her head, "They're still waiting on results of the DNA tests."

"This might help speed things up," Lena offered, stepping forward.

Maggie cocked an eyebrow at Kara before taking the device from Lena to look at.

"Thank you. I can't even express how grateful we are for your help."

"It's the least I could do," Lena said. "I'm so sorry you all are going through this. Especially right after getting her back…"

"It's a hazard of the job I guess," Maggie said, shrugging. "So, how does this thing work?"

"We just need a drop of blood, the device will analyze it for any specific markers that will indicate alien origin. It will then use a database of planets to help narrow down the viral or bacterial source," Lena explained.

Before anyone could do anything, J'onn walked into the room.

"Supergirl, can I talk to you in private?" he said in his deep, stern voice.

Lena locked eyes with Kara and Kara nodded to her, trying to reassure her that she'll handle whatever it was J'onn was about to say.

As soon as Kara and J'onn were out of earshot, J'onn whipped around to look at Kara.

"What were you thinking bringing her here?" he growled.

"I was thinking that she helped save my sister once before and now she's helping again."

"She can help from a distance. This place is secret for a reason, just like your identity. Which you're putting at great risk by bringing her here might I add."

"She's not going to tell anyone about us. And she figured out my identity already."

"Kara, her mother is the head of CADMUS. Do you really think we should trust her? Letting her figure out who you are was a huge tactical error."

"I didn't let her figure out anything. She just knows me that well. And I think she's proven enough times that she does not support CADMUS. We're stronger with her on our side."

J'onn seemed to be battling with his own thoughts. He groaned before saying, "Fine, but she's your responsibility," stabbing his finger in Kara's general direction

"I would expect nothing less," Kara responded.

"Good, now how can she help Alex?" J'onn asked, his demeanor relaxing slightly.

"She has a device that could get us closer to a diagnosis."

"What do you need us to do?"

"I just need the doctor to come get a small sample of her blood for the device."

J'onn nodded and walked away to find the doctor. Kara returned to Alex's room.

"Everything alright?" Maggie asked. Lenna looked at Kara questioningly.

"Yeah, everything is fine," Kara said. "He's just gone to get the doctor."

As soon as the doctor arrived, Lena began explaining to him how her device worked. Kara couldn't help but watch how animated Lena got when discussing something scientific. Even then, when her thoughts were mostly occupied by her sister and her sister's wellbeing, she couldn't help but to stand in awe at this beautifully intelligent and passionate woman.

The doctor took the device and observed it. It was a small silver and grey rounded object. Where the fingerprint scanner once was, there was a concave detector where a blood sample could rest. A tiny flap closed this section off from the air. The lid doubled as an LED screen which would display the planet of origin if the detected DNA was alien.

"This is truly impressive Miss. Luthor. I've never seen anything quite like it, very innovative."

"Thank you Dr. Warren."

"Shall we?" the doctor said, gesturing to Alex.

Lena nodded. The doctor handed the device back to her as he prepared Alex's arm to collect the blood sample. Lena stood, holding the device out steadily as the doctor placed a small droplet of blood from his sample onto the detector. Lena closed the lid and they waited. The device lit up while planet names flickered across the screen. Finally, the screen flashed red and displayed a single planet: Daxam.


	9. Chapter 9

**I hope you like this next chapter! Thank you all so much for reading and for your feedback. Enjoy!**

Everyone froze, staring at the single flashing word.

Daxam...Daxam…Daxam.

Lena was actually the first to move, forcing herself to think scientifically for the sake of getting Alex treated as soon as possible. She turned to the doctor and asked, "Do you have an archive of Daxamite illnesses?"

"We do, but it's partial."

"It's better than nothing. If you show me your equipment, I may be able to help speed up your methods of analysis. We need to run Alex's blood sample against the entire database."

The doctor looked to J'onn, trying to gauge whether or not he would be able to give Lena access to their laboratory equipment.

J'onn gave the doctor a slight nod before saying, "Give her access to anything she needs. The sooner we can get to the bottom of this, the sooner we'll have Alex back."

Before Lena and the doctor could leave the room, Kara seemed to regain her ability to speak.

"Rhea…" she said, almost a whisper still staring at the device.

Lena's face paled, "What did you just say?"

"Rhea...this has to be Rhea...we need to talk to Mon-El. He...he said that he thought he saw her the other day, but that it wasn't her...it must have been though...she must be back…"

"Kara...remember how I told you about the alien that wanted to be partnered with me?" Lena asked, stepping closer to the blonde.

Kara's eyes grew wide as her brain connected the dots.

"It was Rhea?"

"That's what she said her name was...who...who is she?"

"She's the queen of Daxam and Mon-El's...Mike's...mother. She tried to have me killed...we thought she had left earth."

Lena looked like she was about to pass out. How could she have possibly even considered working with this woman? How did she not notice that she was evil? She grew up around enough evil, she should be able to recognize it. What if she had joined forces with her? What would she have tricked her into? Would she have helped harm Kara...Lena didn't think she'd be able to stand that. She could barely handle the thought.

Kara could see Lena's panic rising, she knew the brunette had to be going through a million scenarios in which Rhea had taken advantage of her in order to further her nefarious plots. Kara reached out to Lena, gently touching her arm, hoping to offer some support but also distract her from her spiraling thoughts. Lena's eyes slowly focused on Kara's and a sudden sense of calm washed over her. How is it possible that this woman could have such an effect on Lena? She didn't think it was one of Kara's superpowers. She just knew that Kara could make her feel safer than anyone she had ever met.

Seeing that Lena had refocused and calmed some, Kara asked, "Is there any way you could get a hold of Rhea and get her to meet you at L-Corp?"

"She's waiting to see if I'm going to accept or decline her request of partnership. I can tell her I've made a decision and that I'd like to meet with her."

"Good, I'll be there with you along with some back-up. We can take her into custody and hopefully get some information out of her," Kara said before turning to J'onn and Maggie. "In the meantime, I think we should call Eliza. She may be able to help Dr. Warren identify the illness in the event that we can't get anything out of Rhea."

"That's probably our best course of action," J'onn agreed.

"I'll call Eliza," Maggie offered, leaving the room to make the call.

"I'll get a team together. After that, Dr. Warren, could you show me the current progress of your analysis?" J'onn asked.

The doctor nodded and the pair of them left as well. Only Kara and Lena were left in Alex's room. Kara walked over to her sister and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"We're going to save you," she whispered.

Kara didn't catch it, but at this moment Alex's eyes fluttered slightly and a small furrow appeared on her brow. Although she was still unconscious, she was experiencing the outside world. She could still feel just how sick she was, she could feel her mind unravelling from the darkness as she tried as hard as she could to open her eyes, and she was scared. So very scared.

Shortly after Kara and Lena left the room, Maggie returned. Eliza was on her way to National City, but it would take a little bit of time. Maggie decided just to keep Alex company in the meantime, there wasn't much else she could do. So, there she sat, holding Alex's hand drawing gentle little circles with her thumb and just rambling on about anything that came to mind.

"So, Eliza is on her way here. She'll take good care of you, we all will. We'll have you feeling better in no time. Plus your sister is gonna kick Rhea's ass until she gets some answers out of her. I would not want to be in the way of an angry little Danvers. Kara's ability to switch between an adorable little puppy and a powerful scary superhero is a bit unnerving. But, then again, you do the same thing. Maybe it's a Danvers thing. I'm impressed with the amount Lena is helping, she's all in. I feel like she's becoming an honorary member of the SuperFam...I know we tend to go with SuperFriends. But, SuperFam just seems more accurate at this point. You and your sister and everyone at the DEO have always felt more like a family to me than anything else ever did. That's all thanks to you, for caring about me...for making me feel welcome...for getting everyone to see me the way that you see me. You're my family Alex Danvers and I really need you to wake up. I need to be able to look into your eyes and tell you just how much I love you…"

Alex's hand twitched and then squeezed Maggies.

"Alex?" Maggie asked, her breath catching.

Alex's eyes fluttered, but didn't open.

"Alex, Alex can you hear me?"

Alex's hand squeezed again.

"Alex, baby, can you open your eyes? Please babe, open your eyes," Maggie begged. But, there was nothing.

Maggie's head slumped down to rest on Alex's stomach in defeat. Her only solace, the steady rhythm of her girlfriend's heartbeat.

Lena sat in her office waiting for Rhea to arrive. She had called the alien while her and Kara were driving back to L-Corp requesting she meet her there within the hour. Kara was pacing on the opposite side of the desk, anticipating Rhea's arrival. Trying to plan what it was she was going to say...going to do. She didn't even notice Lena approach her, she nearly walked right into her. Before they could collide though, Lena reached out and placed her hands on Kara's shoulders. It took Kara a second to register that she had stopped moving, she blinked a few times before making eye contact with Lena.

"Kara, why don't you come sit down?" Lena asked, gesturing towards the couch in her office.

"I...I can't. I'm too angry to sit. I can't believe her. I can't believe Rhea targeting my sister. It's me she wants to hurt...granted one of the best ways to hurt me is to hurt my loved ones. I hate that...I hate that I put all of you in danger every day just by knowing you. Just by caring about you. And now I feel so helpless. I can't fight Alex's illness for her. All I can do is hope that I can get Rhea to spill something...anything that can get us closer to getting her well. I had to listen to her heart stop beating...I had to hear Alex's heart stop and it's all my fault. I could have convinced Mon-El to go with his mother, our relationship was already on the outs anyways. Ending it a few hours sooner wouldn't have made anything worse. I could have spun it so that him leaving for Daxam was what I wanted him to do. It would have hurt him, but maybe he could have actually made a difference on Daxam. And then Alex would have been saved...she wouldn't be this sick...she could be at home, cuddling with Maggie, and recovering from her kidnapping…"

Lena hadn't realized that Kara and Mon-El had broken-up, she couldn't help but to feel a faint flutter of hope in her stomach when she realized this. But, now was not the time to tackle her feelings for Kara. Right now, Kara needed her.

Lena pulled Kara into a hug, stopping her rant in its tracks.

"Kara, you have to stop blaming yourself. None of this is your fault, you've dedicated your life to protecting National City. But, so has Alex...and Winn and Maggie and all of us. Even Mon-El. We know the risk, but we choose to stand by your side. Because we care about you Kara and we care about the fate of National City. You're doing everything you can do and it will be enough. She's going to be ok, we just have to keep looking."

Lena could feel Kara's body relax as she melted into the hug.

"You're right, Lena. You're always right. I just can't help feeling like I'm responsible some how...like if I tried harder…"

"You can't save everyone Kara, you can't stop every bad thing from happening no matter how hard you try. There's too much evil in the world for that. All you can do is try your best, which you do everyday."

Before Kara could say anything, Lena's phone chimed.

She's here.

That's all the message from Lena's secretary said, but it was enough.

Lena inhaled sharply, her shoulders tensing. Immediately, Kara took the role of the comforting reassuring friend. She knew Lena had started to see Rhea as a mother figure already and that her betrayal would eat at her.

"It's going to be ok," Kara said, squeezing Lena's hands. "We're going to get her."

Kara stepped away from Lena, quickly transforming back to her Supergirl persona. She informed their backup of Rhea's arrival over the comms and positioned herself in a corner of the room where she couldn't be seen by anyone first entering. Lena went back to sit behind her desk. It was only moments before there was a knock on Lena's office door and it clicked open.

"Hello Rhea," Lena said.

Rhea never knew what hit her.


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm sorry for taking so long for this update! I had a bit of writer's block and then work (which I usually write during) got pretty busy. But, here it is! I hope you enjoy. Please let me know what you think. I'll try to update more regularly again after this. Regardless, I promise to get chapters out as soon as possible!**

As soon as Rhea walked in the door, Kara stepped out from where she was standing. She rushed forward, slamming Rhea into the now closed door behind her. Rhea's eyes flashed with anger when she realized she had been duped as she struggled to free herself from Kara's hold.

"What have you done to Alex Danvers?" Kara growled.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Rhea answered calmly, now holding still and making eye contact with Kara.

"You're an awfully good liar Rhea, but I wouldn't try anything with Supergirl here if I were you," Lena chimed in.

"Ha, please. You ate my lies up. You were so desperate for motherly affection that you'd believe anything I said."

Lena stepped back at that, she knew that Rhea was right. But, Supergirl didn't back down.

"I'll ask you nicely once more, what have you done to Alex Danvers?"

"Who? That lovely redhead? She's got some spunk you know. It took me a bit of digging to figure out what she meant to you. But, my son was never good at keeping his mouth shut. Especially when I went to visit him at that awful alien bar where he had had just a few too many drinks. You know...he called you by your earth name. That's all it took...Kara Danvers."

Rhea paused, looking to Lena to gauge her reaction. Realizing what Rhea had been trying to do, Lena laughed.

"I already know her true identity, nice try."

"We're taking you into custody," Kara spat, turning Rhea around and cuffing her hands behind her.

Together, Lena and Kara walked Rhea out of L-Corp. There, the DEO back-up team was waiting. They loaded Rhea into a vehicle used for transporting prisoners and slammed the door shut behind her. Kara informed the driver that they'd meet him back at the DEO. With that, they headed back to Alex.

By now, Eliza had arrived at the DEO. Maggie had done her best to explain the events leading up to Alex's illness while the doctor filled in any gaps pertaining to medical information. Eliza listened carefully to all of Alex's symptoms and began flipping through her notes on alien health and biological warfare.

"You said the DEO has record of many Daxamite illnesses?" Eliza asked.

"Yes, I am currently cross analyzing Alex's sample with this database."

"Does this database include illnesses they biogenetically engineered in order to use in war against the Kryptonians?"

"No ma'am. I believe it only includes naturally occurring illnesses."

"Chances are, this isn't some ordinary illness. The Daxamites were not known for their simplicity and from what I know, Rhea is a highly intelligent individual."

"What do you suggest?"

"To be honest, we really need Rhea or Mon-El to give us some information. Does anyone know where Mon-El is?"

"Probably at the bar, he's spent most of his time there since him and Kara broke up. He was here to help with Alex's kidnapping. But, I think that was more out of force than anything else," Maggie explained.

"For now, I think it would be good to monitor Alex's brain activity and continue analyzing her blood work. With Alex responding to Maggie earlier, I think we can expect to see a reasonable amount of brain activity that may give us more information on if Alex is in any sort of pain or anything. Hopefully Kara and Lena will be back with Rhea soon," Eliza stated.

"Pain?" Maggie asked weakly.

"She can't tell us how she's feeling, we don't know if she's hurting. We'll be able to monitor it if the EEG points to that at all," Eliza explained softly, looking to the doctor with an expression telling him to hurry up.

The doctor nodded and left to get the EEG equipment. Eliza walked over to her daughter and gently brushed the hair away from her forehead while grabbing her hand. Alex's fingers twitched at the touch of her mother.

It didn't take long for the doctor to be back and the equipment set up. Maggie watched as Eliza and the doctor expertly attached electrodes to Alex's head and hooked them up to a computer like device. The screen lit up and squiggly lines appeared across it. They meant little to Maggie, but Eliza and the doctor watched them carefully waiting for any indication of what's going on in Alex's head...

My mom's here...if my mom is here, it must be bad. They must not know what's wrong still. Kara wouldn't have called mom unless it was necessary, neither of us like worrying her. Why can't I open my eyes...why can't I move. It's like something is trying to control the motor functions of my brain. That could mean a lot of things...brain damage, medically induced coma maybe? But, I feel like I'm awake, I feel focused. Granted, there's chunks of time missing. Do I fall asleep? That's the only logical explanation. But, sometimes it feels like something else is taking charge...maybe that's where the periods of darkness come from? It's usually after I focus hard enough to move my eyes or fingers. Is something trying to prevent me from communicating with my loved ones? It's possible really...if there was some sort of parasite in the water. It could have breathed in its eggs...they could have gestated within me...that could be what made me sick...I need to tell my mom or Maggie or anyone! If it can prevent me from moving, can it make me move unwillingly?...I don't think I want to find out. Wait, I hear something. Someone else is coming into my room…

"Rhea is in custody now, she's being placed in a holding cell as we speak. I'll go find J'onn and interrogate her as soon as she's settled in," Kara said as she walked into the room. Seeing the wires connected to her sister's head, she panicked. "What….what happened?"

Eliza quickly walked over to Kara and rubbed a calming hand down her back.

"Nothing happened sweetie, we're just trying to see how Alex's brain is functioning. Right now everything seems normal. Her pain levels are slightly elevated likely due to the chest congestion. But, other than that, things seem to be a-okay."

Kara raised her eyebrows at her mother's terminology, something seemed suspicious.

Eliza sighed, knowing she was never able to keep anything from her younger daughter.

"Her brain seems to be trying to communicate movement, but it's as if something is blocking the signals from her brain to her body. I'm not sure why, but it's possible that Alex could be partially paralyzed even after she wakes up."

"No...no. She can't be," Kara said breathily. Seeing Kara spiraling again, Lena instinctively reached out and grabbed Kara's hand. Kara grasped it tightly and leaned into her mother who was standing on her other side, burying her face in her shoulder.

Paralyzed? No way...I can't be paralyzed. I can move...I know I can. Something is just stopping me. I have to move...I have to move...sit up or open my eyes or anything...

Darkness.

"Kara, look," Lena said softly.

Kara turned to see Alex's eyes open and scanning the room slowly.

"Alex?" Kara said.

"Al...Al, you're awake!" Maggie exclaimed, gazing into her girlfriend's eyes. Something seemed off about them. They seemed distant, not fully hers. But, Maggie wrote it off as Alex still being sick and having just woken up. "How are you feeling babe?"

"Like I got hit by a truck…" Alex said absentmindedly.

Kara's brow furrowed, Alex didn't sound like herself.

"Are you alright, Alex?" Kara asked.

"Hmmm? Yeah sis, I'm fine," Alex answered, her eyes flicking to meet Kara's. "Just a little out of it I guess."

Eliza had walked over to the EEG machine, she hadn't yet said anything to her daughter. As she noted the current readings, her eyes grew wide.

"Girls, I need you to step back, leave the room even," she said as calmly as she could.

"What? Why? Mom...Alex is awake. We can't leave her yet."

Lena looked over at the screen Eliza was watching. She didn't have much of a medical background. But, her work with the nano-bots lead to some general knowledge and she had taken to reading medical textbooks as a child for a while. So, when she saw the EEG, she knew exactly why Eliza wanted them to leave.

"I think your mom is right Kara, the doctor is surely going to have to run some tests with Alex just waking up. And we should give Alex some time to re-adjust," Lena said, stepping even closer to Kara than she already was and placing her hand on her shoulder.

Kara jerked away and glared at Lena.

"They can do the tests with us here, can't they?" Maggie asked. "And shouldn't we ask Alex if she wants us to stay or leave?"

"Please, just trust me Kara. It's for the best," Eliza pleaded.

"Come on, let's go," Lena insisted, grabbing Kara's hand again.

No one had noticed Alex's demeanor changing. She sat up straighter and was smiling almost meniachley.

"You should have listened to your girlfriend," Alex sneered before lunging at Lena.

Not even Kara's super speed was fast enough to stop Alex from pulling Lena close to her. Then Alex was gagging, sounding like she was trying to cough up a hairball. But, her grip on Lena was still too strong for even Kara to pry her loose. Eliza, Maggie, and Kara watched in disgust as a strange slug like creature climbed out of Alex's mouth and up Lena's nose. As soon as the creature was gone, Alex collapsed back on the bed. Maggie tried to get her to open her eyes again, tried to get a response, to no avail. Lena fell forward when Alex's hold was released. Kara had caught her and slowly lowered her to the ground.

"Lena? Lena? Are you alright?" Kara asked feverently.

"I...I don't know…" Lena answered.

Then her body was shaking, she was seizing just like Alex had. Kara felt like the world was falling away from beneath her. She barely registered Maggie pulling her away or the team of medics coming to hoist Lena onto a bed and hook up all the machines to measure her vitals. All she could do was focus on the thumping of Lena's heart, at first erratic...then silent...then finally steady once more.


	11. Chapter 11

**Here's the next chapter guys! I hope you all enjoy. Please review and let me know what you think! (Just a note, stay tuned for some more Sanvers and Supercorp in the near future!)**

As soon as Kara's shock and panic faded, it was quickly replaced with anger. First her sister, now the woman she loves. There was no way that Rhea could get away with this. Kara stormed into the cell that Rhea was being held in, grabbed Rhea by the hair and slammed her against the wall.

"Tell me what you've done to them," she spat.

"Them?"

"Yes, them."

Rhea smiled, it made Kara's anger grow.

"They've started to multiply, there's no stopping them now," Rhea said.

"No stopping what? What is wrong with them?"

Kara couldn't keep the fear out of her voice. Rhea caught it and her smile widened.

"Your mother should have started to figure it out by now. But, she better be careful. If she doesn't keep her distance, she'll be next."

"I suggest you start talking," Kara growled, her voice no longer shaking. "If they die, you die."

"Oh please, you make such empty threats. You would never kill me. Even if you tried, Mon-El would stop you."

"I'm not so sure about that."

"I'm his mother and you broke his heart. It's just a matter of time before he comes running to me."

"I doubt that'll happen. He despises you and everything you stand for. And he cares about the people at the DEO regardless of whatever happened between him and I."

"That's what you think. But, how do you know he wasn't a part of this. How do you know he isn't helping me?"

"You're bluffing," Kara said confidently, but her face faltered.

"Am I? Regardless you're not getting anything out of me and time is ticking. You realize those lovely parasites will kill their host 24 hours after gestation? That means your sister's clock has already started. Better think fast."

Kara's eyes widened at this. Twenty-four hours? That's not enough time. Kara's face flashed with anger once more as she threw Rhea to the ground.

"You will NOT get away with this."

With that, Kara stormed out ordering the guards to keep careful watch of her.

When Kara entered the examination room, Lena was laying in a bed next to Alex's looking peacefully asleep. For a moment, Kara felt as if she could simply walk over and gently shake them both awake. Like all of this was just a bad dream and if she could just wake them both up, this would all be over. She could sit with them both and talk about how scared she had been and how grateful she was that they were both ok. But, this hopefulness quickly faded when Eliza walked back into the room with worry creasing her face.

"Where's Maggie?" Kara asked, realizing the detective was not sitting at the head of Alex's bed as she had been for nearly the entire time Alex had been unconscious.

"I sent her to find Mon-El. She was feeling like she hadn't been doing enough to help Alex even though there really hasn't been much for anyone to do. We're at a standstill until we identify what is affecting her and now Lena."

Kara nodded, "It's a parasite. Rhea said something about not being able to stop them now that they're multiplying."

"It must be the parasite that's controlling them and keeping them unconscious. I noticed that Alex's movements weren't being caused by her own brain activity right before the specimen attacked Lena. That's why I wanted everyone to leave. I didn't know what would happen next."

"I should have listened to you...maybe then Lena wouldn't have been infected. There's something else Rhea said though. She said that the parasite will kill its host after gestation."

Eliza's face paled. Normally she would try to comfort her adoptive daughter, but they were well past that luxury. Eliza could tell that nothing other than her sister's and her friend's safety would provide any solace for Kara anyway.

"How long?"

"24 hours."

"We need Mon-El here asap."

"I don't know if he'll be any help."

"Why?"

"Rhea also implied that he's on her side."

"I know his morals may be questionable, but he's been against her in every battle so far. I don't see why that would have changed."

"I broke his heart."

"That doesn't mean that he's forgotten everything you've taught him."

"I guess we'll find out," Kara said gravely as she saw Maggie walk in with an inebriated looking Mon-El."

"If he's gonna be any help to us, we need him to sober up and fast," Maggie said, guiding Mon-El to a chair.

"What has mother done now?" Mon-El slurred.

"She's infected Alex and now Lena with some sort of parasite," Kara explained simply.

"I don't want to talk to you," Mon-El said, almost sounding whinney.

"Mon-El, you need to put your feelings towards Kara aside for now. This is bigger than whatever happened between you."

"Why should I...why should I help her save Lena. She always loved Lena more than she loved me...she thought I couldn't tell. But, I could."

Maggie couldn't take it anymore. She felt bad for the guy at first, she knew what it was like to deal with heartbreak as well as awful parents. But this was too much.

"Listen you arrogant daxamite ass, what part of 'this is bigger than whatever happened between you' didn't you understand. Lena's life is in danger. It doesn't matter who Kara loves more, you don't sacrifice someone's life for the sake of being fucking petty. Grow up. And in case you forgot, Alex is lying in one of those beds as well. That's right, my girlfriend is in some sort of weird coma thing because of your psychotic mother. If you think I'm above torturing you until you tell us something, you better think again because I am not someone you want to mess with on a good day. Trust me sweetie...this is not a good day. You better start cooperating," she spat.

Mon-El's eyes grew wide during Maggie's rant. He knew Maggie could be intense, he had even experienced it first hand. But, this was different. This was like something inside her had switched or snapped. He wasn't about to test how far she would go to get him to talk.

"What do you need?"

"Alex came down with what seemed like a cold that escalated until she seized and fell unconscious. During the time that she was unresponsive, there were small moments where she would react to certain stimuli. After some time, she sat up and appeared to be alert. Except, her movements were her own. A slug like specimen exited her mouth and entered Lena resulting in Lena immediately seizing and also falling unconscious. We need to know what's affecting them," Eliza explained.

"I didn't think mother's scientists had completed that experiment…" Mon-El said almost absentmindedly.

"What experiment?" Kara inquired.

"Mother was working on a new weapon, one that would spread and kill quickly. She never could get it quite right though, all of the parasites she experimented on died before infecting a new host. The concept was that the parasite would enter the body in a microscopic larval state. It would infect the host with a common daxamite illness like a cold in order to mask any oncoming symptoms. When the host's condition worsened, they would just think they had a more severe version of the daxamite cold. Meanwhile, the parasite would be allowed to grow and reproduce within the host. When it reached maturity, it would attach itself to the brainstem and gain control over the host's motor functions. After some time being attached, it was supposed to gain total mind control causing the host to attack someone in order to pass on partially matured larva and obtain a new host," Mon-El explained, sounding significantly more sober.

"Is there a cure?" Maggie asked.

"Not that I know of. I didn't even know she had managed to get this to work," Mon-El answered.

"Do you think you could get your mother to tell you if there is one?" Kara suggested.

"I could try, but I doubt she'd let that slip. Even if I'm acting like I'm on her side. She'd be suspicious. I could possibly get more information though…"

"It's worth a shot Mon-El, we can use all the information we can get," said Eliza.

Mon-El nodded and said, "Then I need to go talk to my mother."

"I'll come make sure the guards let you talk to her," Kara offered and followed Mon-El out of the room.

Mon-El walked into Rhea's cell looking determined. If he wanted her to believe he was on her side, he'd really have to sell it. Rhea looked surprised to see her son standing before her.

"Mon-El?" she asked suspiciously.

"I've seen the error in my ways mother, what could I ever do to receive your forgiveness?"

Rhea smiled maniacally.

"You can start by helping me destroy Kara Zor-El and everyone she holds dear."

"Anything you say mother."

"Good, then I need you to kidnap Eliza Danvers."


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys! Here's my next chapter. Sorry again for it taking so long, this part of the story is sort of out of my comfort zone genre wise and I've been having a hard time staying motivated. Please let me know what you think! What do you like? What could I do better on? Any feedback will inspire me to keep writing and hopefully get the next few chapters out much faster. We will be back to some fluffy hurt/comfort stuff soon I think! Thank you all for reading. Hope you enjoy!**

"What? No...no...not even an option. I'm not letting you hand over my mother. No way," Kara said walking through the DEO towards the med bay.

"You said you wanted me to get information. The only way I can do that is by proving my loyalty," Mon-El explained. "I would never in a million years want to harm Eliza, she's a sweetheart. But, I don't know what choice we have right now. Everything is at a standstill."

"We aren't discussing this any further. We'll figure something else out."

"Shouldn't we at least ask Eliza what she thinks? It would be her going in after all, and she has a lot at stake with this too."

"Ask me what?" Eliza said as she walked up to the pair.

"My mother requested that I kidnap you. I don't know why or what she intends to do. I think it's mainly to halt your work towards a cure and to break Kara down further. But, there's no way to know for sure."

"Where does she want you to take me?"

"There's an old warehouse not far from here. She wants me to take you there and to provide her with a means of communication with you."

"She doesn't want you to break her out?" Kara asked, surprised.

"No, and she wants the communication system to be only between Eliza and herself."

"That's suspicious," Kara muttered.

"I'll do it," Eliza said firmly.

"Mom, no…"

"Kara, we have made no progress on finding a cure because we know very little about this parasite. There's a possibility that either I or Mon-El will be able to learn more if we do as his mother asks. We need to do whatever it takes to get Alex and Lena back."

"I can't lose you too…" Kara nearly whimpered.

Eliza pulled Kara into a hug.

"You're not going to lose me, we'll take precautions. Plus, we have Mon-El as our inside man."

"I'll make sure to keep her safe," Mon-El ensured.

The three of them continued on to the med bay where Maggie was sitting with Alex's head in her lap gently brushing the hair off her forehead.

"She hasn't been responding to my touch anymore…" Maggie said as soon as she saw Eliza. "I'm afraid there will be none of her left by the time we can save her...if we can save her…"

Seeing both Alex and Lena laying there so pale and so still made something flip in Kara. If Eliza was comfortable with being handed over to Rhea, then they should go for it. The clock was ticking and Maggie could very well be right.

"Maggie, we're going to save them and we will save them in time. Mon-El is bringing Eliza to Rhea. We think this could help us get more information on the parasite or on a cure."

"But, what if it's a trap?" Maggie asked.

"That's a risk we have to be willing to take at this point," Eliza answered.

"Do you think we should include J'onn in our plan?" Mon-El asked

"I'm afraid he may shut it down, going rogue could be our best bet," Kara responded.

"On our own it is then," Eliza said. "Maggie, would you be able to provide me with some method of communication with you guys in addition to the communication I need to have with Rhea?"

"Yeah, of course. Give me an hour, I'll set something up."

Everyone waited anxiously as that hour passed by. Soon, Maggie was back with equipment that she carefully threaded through Eliza's clothes and showed her how to use. The easy toggle that would let her switch channels in order to choose who she's talking to. She showed Mon-El too, so that he could give his mother the ability to speak to Eliza. Then Mon-El and Eliza were off to the warehouse.

As soon as they were gone, Maggie turned to Kara and said, "I hid a tracker on Eliza as well. If Mon-El crosses us or things go south, we'll be able to find her."

"You really are the best Maggie, thank you."

After Eliza was delivered to the warehouse, Mon-El reported to his mother.

"I'm impressed, I didn't expect you to do it," Rhea said.

"I told you, I'll do whatever you say."

"Good, then I need you to do something else for me…"

"What's that?"

"I need you to get Kara and Lena alone together in a room. Lena's parasite will be gestating soon. I think Kara should be the next one infected."

"Why Kara? I thought you wanted her to suffer?" Mon-El asked, trying to hide is panic. He may have had his heart broken by the hero. But, the thought of her ending up like Alex or Lena made his stomach drop.

"I thought you said you'd do whatever I say? That means no questions asked," Rhea answered, her eyes narrowing.

"Yes mother," Mon-El said before leaving the cell once more.

Kara and Maggie were sitting holding hands and holding the hands of Lena and Alex respectively when Mon-El found them in the med bay.

"Kara...I'm...I'm sorry. But, mother wants me to isolate you and Lena. She said Lena's parasite will be gestating soon."

"And she wants me to be infected next...but that doesn't make sense. I thought the whole point was to torture me by taking everyone who I have ever cared about away."

"Maybe there's something she's not telling you, Mon-El," Maggie offered. "She may not fully trust you yet."

"I'm sure she doesn't trust me, but this still doesn't make sense."

Before anyone could say anything else, the radio connected to Eliza's walkie talkie crackled to life.

"Kara, Maggie?" Eliza's voice whispered.

"We're here Eliza, are you ok?" Maggie said.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. They actually have me working in a lab. It turns out that Rhea doesn't have a cure. She has me working on one."

"You know she'll never let you leave regardless of you doing what she ask. And you can't trust anything she promises you," Mon-El said matter of factly.

"I am more than aware of that Mon-El, but that's why you all will have to rescue me. I'm sure the three of you would be able to fight off the guards."

"It might not be three of us mom," Kara said carefully.

"What do you mean? What's wrong?" Eliza asked, suddenly very concerned.

"Rhea wants me to be the next one infected, she told Mon-El to get me alone with Lena."

"Kara, you're immune to this parasite. It cannot penetrate your skin. She'd have to have you under red lamps. Make sure that you have one of those sun-emulators Alex was working on and you'll be fine. It's very possible she's trying to capture a partially matured version of the parasite. It cannot be removed without killing the host, but then it dies too. If it's trapped outside a human body, then it will live for a while looking for an alternative life force to inhabit."

"So, what you're saying is that by doing what mother says, we may be able to save Alex and Lena faster?" Mon-El asked.

"Exactly," Eliza agreed.

"Is there any way to know for sure when Lena's parasite will gestate?" Maggie inquired.

"Check the back of her neck, if you can see a thin black line along where her spine is then it will be very soon."

Maggie carefully lifted Lena's head to reveal the black line Eliza had been talking about. Without missing a beat, Mon-El grabbed Maggie's hand as well as Alex's bed and dragged them both out of the room and shutting the door behind him.

They watched as Lena's body began to twitch just moments after Kara had been left alone with her. Suddenly, she sat up and her eyes sprung open.

"K...Kara?" Lena's body said.

"It's not really her...it's not really her…" Kara muttered to herself under her breath.

"Kara...where am I? What happened?"

"Y...you're in the med bay at the DEO. There was an accident. But, you're going to be ok. I promise. You're going to be ok…" Kara said, tears threatening to roll down her cheeks. She had to give Lena some comfort with the slightest chance that the real Lena could hear what she was saying.

"I'm just so...so scared. Could you...could you come here and just sit with me? Please?"

The tears were now flowing freely as Kara moved closer to Lena. She carefully sat on the side of the bed and Lena's body leaned into her. Kara gently rubbed Lena's back as she waited for what was bound to come next. Sure enough, Lena's body began to shake and gag. The strange slug like parasite came bulging out of Lena's mouth and crawled into Kara's nose. She could feel it trying to enter her brain, but failing to break through the skin. It was an awful feeling, all she wanted was to make it stop. Finally, it crawled back out and onto the floor, squirming...trying to sense another host. Lena's body had slumped back into unconsciousness with her head resting in Kara's lap.

"Mon-El," Kara called through the glass. "Go tell your mother what just happened. We need to know what to do next."

Mon-El nodded and walked away, Maggie stayed to keep an eye on Kara.

"You doing ok?" Maggie asked.

Kara shook her head, the tears still falling.

"I just want them to both be ok. I just want this to be over…"

"I know, I know little Danvers. Me too."

Mon-El was back rather quickly with some sort of container. He rapidly pulled open the door of the medical room, threw the container in, and slammed the door shut again before the parasite could wriggle its way out.

"Mother said that you need to put it in there. Then I am to bring both you and the parasite to Eliza," Mon-El explained.

Kara didn't speak. She simply picked up the squirming monster of a being and slid it into the container making sure to lock all openings. She leaned down and placed a kiss on Lena's forehead before opening the doors. She kissed her sister's forehead as well, squeezed Maggie's hand, and allowed herself to be lead off. Her only thought being, we need to save them.


	13. Chapter 13

**Thanks everyone for your feedback! Please keep it up, all of your input helps inspire me to keep writing. Here's the next chapter, I hope you all enjoy.**

The warehouse was dark and damp, that was until they reached the lab. Then the bright fluorescent lights were such a drastic change, they made you squint. Kara ran to Eliza the moment she saw her, pulling her into a hug. Mon-El waited a minute before clearing his throat and gesturing towards the box containing the parasite.

"Mother said that she would like you to analyze the creature in every way you possibly can. She will provide you with any additional equipment you may need. But, she wants results as soon as possible."

"I will do what I can. What is the plan for when the cure is complete?"

"We don't have a plan quite yet, but Maggie and I will work on one. We have Kara rigged with a communication device as well. We'll keep you all updated," Mon-El explained. "Kara, I'm sorry, but mother requested I put you in a holding cell with red lamps. I don't know what she intends to do with you. But, I'll do my best to find out."

Kara nodded in understanding, stepping in to give Eliza another hug.

"We'll figure this out, having access to the parasite I'll have a cure in no time," Eliza reassured.

With that, Kara allowed herself to be led off and locked into a windowless room doust in red lighting.

Eliza got to work immediately, studying the parasite's behavior outside of a host and how it would react to human tissue being even remotely near it. A biopsy was obtained and used to analyze the parasite's DNA. The results showed that the parasite actually contained the same sequence of daxamite genetics that caused their allergy to lead. Eliza began testing the parasite's aversion to lead using various concentrations of lead below the toxicity levels in humans. Once the concentration required to kill the creature was determined, Eliza contacted Rhea.

"I believe I have discovered the cure, I need a way to test it on a parasite inhabiting a human," Eliza demanded.

"Very well, but we can't chance it not working on either of your precious patients. Don't worry, I have several individuals we can choose from. I'll have Mon-El take you to them."

 _Several individuals? How many people has she infected?_

Mon-El arrived shortly after Rhea said she'd send him and guided her to a basement section of the warehouse. They walked down a long narrow hallway until they reached a heavy looking metal door guarded by two very large men. When they saw Mon-El, they stepped aside. As soon as the door was open, Eliza ghasped. The walls were lined with glass cages, each containing an unconscious individual hooked up to monitors. There were clocks placed at the front of the cages as well, marking the hours since infection as well as the hours since gestation. Eliza watched in horror as one of the clocks inched closer to the 24 hours since gestation mark. The person in the cell, an old man with scraggly grey hair wearing nothing but stained underwear, began to twitch starting with his fingers and then moving to the rest of his body. It was seconds before his whole body was moving, the motion becoming more controlled and uniform. He stood, the convulsions a meer tremor.

In a deep growly voice the man said, "I have been terminated…"

In that moment, his eyes glazed over white and his body dropped to the floor, unmoving. From under his body, the parasite could be seen crawling out, looking for a new host. Finding none, it just sat there.

The entire scene was iry and gave Eliza the chills. She could imagine Alex's body, so pale and frail looking at this point mirroring the mans. That was something she was determined to never have to experience. She continued following Mon-El until they found an individual who was about a half hour away from 'termination', as the man had put it. Eliza chose this individual both because they were closest to death and because they were a young woman, probably in her early twenties. Mon-El motioned for one of the guards to enter the cell and to administer the lead injection. Eliza instructed for it to be injected right at the base of the neck where the black line of the parasite could be seen. The guard did as he was told and quickly exited the cell. Eliza and Mon-El waited, carefully watching the girl for any signs of change.

"What's that?" Mon-El asked, pointing to the girl's face.

It looked like she was crying, but at closer observation it was obvious that there were little lines of blood running from the corners of her eyes. Soon blood was also running from her ears. Her breathing slowed and then stopped. She was gone.

"What happened?" Mon-El asked.

"My cure didn't work," Eliza said gravely. "The parasite must kill its host when it is threatened. Similar to if it was to be physically removed."

"So, how are we going to save Alex and Lena if the parasite can't be killed without killing the host?"

"Hold on, I have an idea," Eliza said, rushing out of the prison like hall.

Mon-El followed closely behind, asking, "What are you planning?"

"If I paralyze the parasite before injecting it with the lead, then maybe the parasite won't be able to kill it's host before it perishes itself," Eliza explained.

"That's brilliant!"

The pair rushed back to the lab where Eliza had been working. Eliza grabbed a syringe filled with a paralyzing agent as well as the antidote in case it left the host paralyzed. They then returned to the holding center and selected the next individual for testing. This time, the person was an hour away from termination and was a young man also in his early-twenties. The guard entered and carefully followed Eliza's instructions to first inject the paralyzing agent into the black mark of the parasite, waiting several minutes before administering the lead. Once again, the guard immediately left the cell. Eliza and Mon-El impatiently waited. Moments after the lead injection, the man began to move. But, this motion was clearly different to any other motion seen by an infected body. It was smooth and slow. Much more human than the others. After some time, the man sat up, blinking at the light as his eyes adjusted to the room.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"You're in a testing facility, you were infected with an unidentified parasite. We just implemented a test cure. It appears to have worked," Eliza explained.

Before anyone else could speak, Eliza and Mon-El's communication devices came to life with Kara's voice.

"Eliza...Mon-El...we have a problem. I believe that Rhea has other scientists working on the parasites for her...I think they're trying to develope one that could infect me. People have come in and taken samples of my blood. Now they've turned on lights that emulate the sun."

"Kara, we'll be right there. Did you inform Maggie?" Mon-El ensured.

"Yes, she said that she'll meet you with the escape vehicle at the back of the warehouse."

"Ok, hold tight. Eliza just developed a successful cure. We need to make sure we have enough and then we'll come get you."

Mon-El grabbed Eliza's hand and they ran through the facility back to the lab. Eliza carefully packed three syringes each full of paralyzing agent, antidote, and the cure for the parasite into foam lined boxes.

"I'm bringing three so we have a backup," Eliza explained to Mon-El.

Mon-El just nodded and ushered Eliza through the warehouse to where Kara was being held. Just outside of her room, two guards stood blocking the door.

"Mother demanded I transport Supergirl and Eliza to an alternate facility. She's concerned that their location has been discovered."

The guards looked hesitant for a second, but moved aside after receiving a stern look from Mon-El. Mon-El pushed into the room to see Kara held in a cell similar to those downstairs, leaving ELiza with the guards. Guards armed with kryptonite suits were tying Kara down to a table using kryptonyte cuffs.

"I demand you cease action immediately," Mon-El shouted.

The guards paused to look at Mon-El before continuing.

"I have orders to relocate Supergirl and Eliza, release her to me," Mon-El tried again.

The guards just continued to secure Kara on the table. Suddenly, the doors behind Mon-El swung open and the guards they had just spoken to stepped in.

"Hey, we just tried to confirm your transport with Rhea...she said there was no such order…"

Mon-El's head whipped around when he heard Kara scream. A guard was bringing out a box containing a version of the parasite. But this one looked larger, more grotesque. It had large protruding teeth similar to a piranha and what looked like some sort of exoskeleton. Mon-El felt like he was frozen as he watched the parasite be brought closer. As it was removed from the cage. As it was lowered onto Kara stomach as she squirmed trying to escape her prison. But, the moment it crawled into Kara's mouth, Mon-El sprung into action.


	14. Chapter 14

**Here is the next chapter everyone! I hope you enjoy! Thank you all for the continued interest and any feedback. The story will be coming to a close soon, but not quite yet. So, stay tuned for more. Classes have started back up again though, so apologies for any delay in new chapters. Please let me know what you think!**

This one felt stronger, Kara noted as she lay there strapped to the kryptonyte enforced table. It hurt a bit as it was trying to push itself into her brain, a dull sort of aching pain. Like the headache she'd get after blowing out her powers. But, it wasn't the sharp sudden pain she would have expected. Rhea had failed. Despite the startling appearance of this new and improved parasite, it was unable to pierce the skin of Supergirl. Perhaps with enough time dedicated to forcing its way in, it would be able to. But, patience didn't seem to be one of its virtues. After a few moments of pressure, the parasite slithered back out of Kara's mouth and onto the floor. Kara was finally able to assess their situation.

Mon-El had attacked the guard that brought the parasite into Kara's cell. The guy was unconscious on the ground. Eliza had forced herself into the room and had injected one of the other guards directly in the eye with her spare needle of paralysis agent, he too was splayed on the ground. There was only one guard left that Mon-El was fighting, but more were sure to be on their way. Eliza realized that Kara was no longer being infected by the parasite and walked over to the door of the cell.

"Mom, no! It's free. It will infect you."

"Don't worry, I have the cure with me. I'll just inject it before it gets to me," Eliza ensured.

Just as Eliza was opening the door, Mon-El successfully knocked out the third and final guard. The parasite quickly crawled out of the cell and Eliza jammed her syringe into it's back as Mon-El rushed in to free Kara from the table. The parasite froze, quickly going limp. But, by the time Kara had reached the door of her cell, it began twitching.

"The cure doesn't work on the hybrid. We have to get out of here!" Eliza exclaimed.

"Both of you, get to the door. I know it can't infect me, I'll keep it busy until you're safe," Kara said, stepping towards the creature.

Mon-El and Eliza both pushed through the doors, shortly followed by Kara who pulled the door shut behind them. The trio ran through the halls, towards the back of the warehouse.

"Maggie, what's your ETA?" Mon-El asked over their communication devices.

"Pulling up now, what's your situation?"

"On our way out, with the cure."

"See you soon."

As they ran through the halls, various guards tried to stop them. But, Mon-El and Kara took care of them. It wasn't long before the three of them were bursting through the back doors of the building. Maggie was waiting in an unmarked DEO transport van, as soon as everyone was inside, she took off.

"I had to tell J'onn about our plan, I didn't want to leave Lena and Alex alone for too long," Maggie said.

"What did he say?" Kara asked.

"He wasn't too happy, but I'm sure he'll get over it when Alex and Lena are safe."

"How are they doing?" Eliza inquired.

"They're both technically stable. But, still unconcious. It's been 22 hours since Alex's parasite gestated...I don't want to find out what happens once it hits 24."

"No, you certainly don't," Eliza murmured.

Mon-El's ear piece crackled to life with Rhea's voice.

"I knew I shouldn't have trusted you. I knew you couldn't possibly have been on my side. You'll be sorry. You and your friends will suffer for this. You see…this was just a test. A test of the parasites to see how well they work. There are thousands ready to be released on the population of National City. Then there will be no stopping them."

"I call bullshit mother, you don't know how these things operate. You had to have Eliza do experiments for you. You wouldn't start an epidemic without fully being able to control the outcome. You're not that willing to relinquish control."

"You think you know me Mon-El? You want to bet on that? You've been away for a long time. Things change."

"Don't listen to her Mon-El," Kara said. "We have to get the cure to Lena and Alex. We can worry about everything else after."

Mon-El nodded, ripping out his earpiece and throwing it on the ground of the van.

"We're pulling in now," Maggie announced.

As soon as the van stopped moving, everyone jumped out and ran through the DEO to the med bay. J'onn was waiting for them, sitting between Alex and Lena.

"Do you have it?" J'onn asked in his deep gravely voice.

"We do, Kara answered as Eliza pulled out the syringes.

"I'm going to do Alex first because she has a bit less time," Eliza explained, moving next to Alex's bed and rolling her onto her side.

She carefully slid the paralytic needle into the thin black line on the back of Alex's neck, injecting it slowly and carefully while monitoring if there was any response on Alex's part. A few moments passed before she injected the cure into the same spot. You could see everyone in the room holding their breath as they waited for Alex to come to. The tension grew the longer there was no change, but then, she began to stir.

"Alex? Al? Hey…" Maggie said softly, squeezing Alex's hand.

Alex opened her eyes, blinking at the harsh light, and looked around the room.

"W...what happened?" Alex asked, her voice hoarse from lack of use.

"You were sick, but you're better now. Alex, I missed you so much," Maggie explained, pulling Alex close.

"What's wrong with Lena? Why...why is she here?"

"She was helping us figure out what was wrong with you. BUt, then she got sick too. It's ok, we're going to take care of her now," Kara answered. "I'm just happy you're ok Alex."

Alex just nodded, nuzzling close into Maggie's chest. Although she didn't fully remember their time apart, she subconsciously missed Maggie's strong arms wrapped around her.

Eliza smiled at her beautiful daughter, so happy that they had saved her. But, she knew her work wasn't over. She moved over to Lena's bed and administered the paralytic agent as well as the cure. Moments passed and Lena too began to stir.

"Kara…" was the first word out of Lena's mouth.

"I'm right here Lena, I'm right here."

"What...what happened? Is Alex alright?"

"Yes, Alex is right here. She's alright. You're both going to be alright. We couldn't have done it without you," Kara said, grasping Lena's hand.

Finally, Alex and Lena were both safe. Everyone went around talking to them a bit, telling them how happy they were that they were alright. J'onn sent Winn to go get some food as no one had really eaten the whole time Lena and Alex were unconscious. Alex scooched forward in bed so that Maggie could sit behind her with Alex leaning against her, taking in her warmth. Every so often Maggie would place soft kisses on the top of her head and Alex would smile, feeling how much she was loved by this amazing woman. Lena didn't let go of Kara's hand for most of the night. She felt like she understood what Kara had meant however many days ago when she asked for Lena to stay at her apartment. Kara's presence brought comfort to her. Without her there, she'd feel lost. And so, she wanted to maintain as much contact as possible.

Long into the night, that's how they all stayed. The rest of the superfriends pulling up chairs all around the beds in the room, chatting about simple things like what movies were coming out and what they should play at the next game night. No one dared to talk about the events of the past few days. For now, they just wanted to enjoy each other's company.

But, their peace couldn't last forever. Tomorrow was a new day and they would all have much more to face.


	15. Chapter 15

**I hope you all enjoy this next chapter! We're getting back to the fluff, stay tuned for more. I'll update as often as I can with being back in classes. Please let me know what you think! Thank you all for reading!**

No one had been asleep very long, or had slept very well for that matter. Everyone had stayed the night in Alex and Lena's room, sitting up in precarious positions not very suitable for sufficient rest. Not to mention the fact that everyone felt the need to check in on Alex and Lena every so often, to make sure they were really ok...that they had really been saved. After some time, they decided to abandon sleep all together. There was too much to do anyway.

The first course of action for Eliza was to remove the parasites from both Alex and Lena. While the parasites had been killed, they were still inside them. Until Eliza could begin surgery, there was no telling just how entangled the creatures were with the host's brain and brainstem. If she had had more time, she would have tested this extraction on their patient back at Rhea's lab. But, they had had to rush out. And going back there would pose more risk than it was worth. So, Eliza was going in blind. She knew that soon all of the patients from Rhea's lab would be in custody. But, she didn't want to make Lena or Alex wait to get the parasites fully out of their body.

"Ok the two of you, here's what's going to happen. You will be mildly sedated, but still conscious. I'm not about to knock either of you out again and I want you to be able to be able to tell me if anything seems off. I'll also use a local anesthetic to make sure you at least aren't in pain. I'll try to make this as non-invasive as possible. But, I make no promises."

The two women nodded, knowing this was necessary and just wanting the things out of their body all together. Alex volunteered to go first.

Laying face down on the cool operating table, she could feel as the sedative worked its way through her body giving her a soft fuzzy sleepy feeling. She was still very aware of her surroundings though. Which was exactly what they needed. The local anesthetic needle felt like gentle pressure and soon Alex could tell that her neck had gone numb. Eliza carefully cut a slit along the black line that marked the maturation of the parasite. The body had been present just under the skin, so Eliza began to carefully pull the body out. As she did so, Alex's extremities began to twitch slightly.

"You doing ok sweetie?" Eliza asked.

"Yeah...that feels...weird. But, it doesn't hurt."

Eliza continued pulling slowly and carefully. Soon, Eliza could see beneath the body and realized why Alex had been twitching. There were long tendrils running from the parasite into Alex's spine. They were limp and loose though, so they were easily sliding out without causing any harm. The movement must have been stimulating some nerves resulting in movements. Eliza carefully pulled each tendril out individually until she was sure they were all cleared from Alex's system. She then put the body of the parasite over to the side and stitched the slit closed.

"There you go, you're all set."

"Thanks mom," Alex said sleepily.

"Of course Alex, I'm just glad you're ok."

The procedure was quickly performed on Lena as well and the pair were put back in their beds to allow the sedative to wear off and to begin to heal. Although they had both been unconscious for some time, their bodies had been through a lot. They both needed their rest.

While Alex and Lena were being operated on, Kara and Mon-El had gone to deal with Rhea and her threats.

"Hello mother," Mon-El said as he approached Rhea's cell. Where is this parasitic plague you had promised us?"

"Just you wait, just because it didn't begin immediately doesn't mean it won't happen. What, you thought I had them on a timed release? Larvae need to grow before they can go out into the world," Rhea sneered.

Kara stood in her supergirl pose facing Rhea and said, "You realize we hold all the cards right? We cured our people, we know where your lab is, a team is on their way to arrest everyone there, we know more about these parasites than you do, we have you in custody. It's time you stop playing games."

Rhea laughed, "It's cute that you think you're actually ahead of me. I suggest you open your eyes little one. There's a lot more that could go wrong for you."

Rhea's words made Kara's heart sink, but she refused to let it bother her. Instead, she directed the guards to increase Rhea's security and went out with Mon-El to sweep the city for parasite nests. Rhea hadn't been bluffing, there were nests hidden throughout the city. But, with lead injections they were easily neutralized and eliminated. Conflict, avoided.

Maggie and J'onn headed the team sent out to arrest and question anyone involved in Rhea's lab. There weren't many people, she had had a hard time operating from within the confines of the DEO. Most of them were blackmailed into participating anyways and were released after questioning. Any infected individuals were transported to the DEO where a series of doctors had been trained in the administering of the cure. They were all held after the parasite removal for monitoring and counseling. Families were notified for those who had families, but many were homeless individuals or orphaned children. Maggie made sure to set up a program with NCPD to ensure that everyone would be placed with proper care once they were released from the DEO.

By the time everything was fully sorted, the day felt like it had stretched on forever. Maggie and Kara returned to the med bay to check up on Alex and Lena.

"Hey guys, how are you both feeling?" Kara asked.

"Drained mostly...but good. Much better now that that thing isn't in me," Alex answered as Maggie walked over and grasped her hand.

"When will be able to get out of here? It would be nice to spend the night in an actual bed. And Alex and I have both established that we aren't fans of hospital settings," Lena said.

"Eliza didn't say how long you two need to stay?" Kara asked.

"She said it's up to J'onn," Alex said, leaning her head into Maggie's stomach.

"We'll figure it out and make sure to get you guys out of here as soon as possible," Maggie said, running her hand through Alex's hair. "But, I feel like we should be a bit cautious with what happened last time we left before you were really ready to."

"Maggie, I promise if there are any complications I'll speak up about it right away. I was stubborn, otherwise we would have came back to the DEO much sooner," insisted Alex. "And I'm sure Lena would be sure to let us know if there were any problems too."

Lena nodded in agreement.

"Ok then, I'll be right back," Kara said, leaving to find J'onn.

When she returned, she could see just how eager Alex and Lena were. Maggie too looked as if all she wanted was for her and Alex to be able to go home to their own apartment and their own bed.

"He said we're good to go. But, he will be calling for updates every few hours."

"Sounds fair," Lena said.

Lena and Alex insisted on walking out of the facility. After all, they had been stuck in bed for a few days. They leaned heavily on Kara and Maggie respectively, but they made it outside to Maggie's car.

"Where are you two going?" Maggie asked Kara and Lena.

Kara looked to Lena for an answer, not wanting to assume anything.

"I think Kara's...if that's ok of course," Lena responded, gesturing to Kara.

"Yeah...yes! Of course it's ok," Kara said, a bit caught off guard. She had expected Lena to want to be in her own apartment.

Sensing Kara's surprise, Lena said, "Your apartment is much cozier than mine. I think I'd be a bit more comfortable there to be honest."

"Then my apartment it is!"

Maggie dropped Kara and Lena off. Kara offered for Alex and Maggie to come up, but Alex said she wanted some time with just Maggie. The four agreed to check in on each other in a bit and to get together the next day for a relaxing movie night.

As Lena got out of the car, she winced in pain. Kara was immediately by her side.

"Are you ok? Do you need me to…"

"I'm fine Kara," Lena interrupted with a smile. "Just a bit stiff."

"Oh, ok," Kara said, backing off slightly. But, staying close enough that she could catch Lena if she fell.

As soon as Lena and Kara were upstairs, Kara started running around her apartment at super speed trying to tidy up and get everything all situated for Lena to be comfortable.

"Kara...Kara...stop," Lena said laughing.

Kara froze and said, "I...I'm sorry. Just with everything going on, I never had a chance to get this place ready. It's such a mess and I just want it to be perfect for...for you."

"Kara, it already is perfect for me. You're here...and I know you'll take good care of me."

Kara's eyes widened and her mouth fell open slightly, she didn't know how to respond.

"Well...is...is there anything I can do for you? Is there a...anything you need?" Kara stammered.

"Actually, I could really use a hug…" Lena said.

In that moment, she looked so small...so young. Kara took the time to really look at her...her messy hair and make-up free face. To see the lines of exhaustion and the shadow of pain flashing in her eyes. Kara could feel her heart ache for her and all she had been through in the last few days. She stepped forward and took Lena into her arms, holding her gently. Kara could feel Lena relax the moment they entered the hug and as it continued, Kara relaxed too.

And so there they stood, the two of them, taking comfort in each others embrace.


	16. Chapter 16

**Here's the next chapter! I wrote this one pretty fast, so sorry if there's typos. I was just inspired and wanted to bring you this as soon as possible. Thank you all for reading! Please let me know what you think. Enjoy!**

Maggie reached out to clasp Alex's hand as she continued to drive them back to their apartment.

"What would you like to do once we get home?" Maggie asked.

"Honestly, I'd like to shower, order a pizza, curl up next to you on the couch, and watch cheesy romantic comedies until we fall asleep."

"Sounds like a plan babe."

And that's exactly what they did. Maggie had the pizza delivered so neither of them would have to worry about leaving again. She dragged a bunch of their pillows and blankets from the bedroom and set up a sort of nest on the couch while Alex was in the bathroom.

When Alex came out, she was wearing one of Maggie's oversized NCPD hoodies and a pair of boxer shorts. Her hair was wet and tousled and the exhaustion from the past few days was evident on her face. But, Maggie couldn't help but to stare at her beautiful girlfriend who was finally home and safe.

"What?" Alex asked, catching Maggie's lingering eyes.

"I just...I love you."

Alex smiled, "I love you too."

Already, those words felt like the most natural thing to slip from their lips.

Meanwhile, back at Kara's apartment, Kara and Lena were getting situated. It was Kara's stomach growling that interrupted their embrace.

"Are you hungry?" Lena asked, laughing.

Kara smiled sheepishly and nodded.

"Well then we should eat! What would you like?"

"What would I like?! You were the one who was just in a coma! I should be asking what you would like!"

"You're going to laugh at my answer…"

"I promise, I won't laugh."

"Pizza and pot stickers."

Kara waited, expecting Lena's answer to be a joke. Expecting her to laugh and say what she really wanted. But, that didn't happen. Instead, Lena explained her reasoning.

"I've come to associate pizza and pot stickers with you," Lena said. "And pretty much anything that has to do with you comes as a comfort to me. So, being here with you while we eat pizza and pot stickers and maybe watch a movie or two would truly be the best for me right now."

"Well, then we can certainly make that happen."

Kara went to order the pizza while Lena went to wash up. As she showered, Lena's mind went to Kara.

 _I have to tell her...I have to tell her how I feel. If the past few days are a sign of anything, it's that you will never know when will be your last chance. She needs to know. But, how do I tell her? How do I bring it up? What if she doesn't actually feel the same?_

Kara's thoughts were somewhere very similar as she situated the living room for their relaxing night in.

 _I love her...I know I love her. And I think she loves me. But, how can I show her that the feelings are mutual? How can I let her know just how much she means to me. I want it to be perfect. But, what's more perfect than telling the woman you love how you feel...regardless of the way it's done. Ugh...I guess I should just say it before I chicken out…_

"Kara, I need to talk to you…"

"There's something I need to tell you, Lena…"

The pair spoke in tandem as Lena re-entered the living room clad in a pair of Kara's pj's.

"You first," they both said and laughed.

There was a hesitation, neither knew who should speak and were worried about what the other had to say. Both could be seen fidgeting, which was surprising to Kara because Lena very rarely fidgets. She's always so together, even when speaking to her mother. Lena couldn't remember the last time she felt so nervous. She was silently daring herself to speak. Instead, Kara decided to take the plunge first.

"Lena...I...I...I honestly don't know how to tell you this. O...or how to explain it really I guess. Th...there are no words that would uhhh truly give it justice…" Kara stammered, her eyes dropping to stare at her fidgeting hands.

Lena felt her heart leap into her throat. But, she listened intently, waiting for Kara to continue.

"Lena, you mean more to me than I could possibly explain," Kara started again, sounding braver this time. "I've been trying to figure out exactly what it was I've been feeling for you...although I suppose I've known all along and just haven't realized it. Hell, even Alex and Maggie had figured it out. I dunno, I guess I was just blind...or...stubborn. Because this...this is a new concept to me. It's something I didn't think was possible because...well, because I thought I only liked boys. And oh Rao, I wish I would have realized sooner...I'm so sorry I hadn't realized this much, much sooner. But...Lena...I think...I think I love you."

Kara finished her stumbling explanation with a deep breath. Lena waited until Kara's eyes raised back up to meet her own. The moment that happened, Lena spoke.

"Kara, I love you too," she said, leaning in to place a hesitant kiss on Kara's lips. The words sounded like she was letting out a breath she had been holding.

Kara smiled as soon as the kiss broke and leaned in for another, this one a bit more certain.

"Oh...what did you want to talk to me about?" Kara asked once their lips parted once again.

"Exactly what you just adorably rambled about."

This made Kara's smile grow which was mirrored on Lena's face. The pair looked like a couple of giddy teenagers who had snuck behind the bleachers to share their first ever kiss.

A knock on the door interrupted their moment.

"Oh! That must be the food!" Kara exclaimed, rushing to the door.

Sure enough, there stood the delivery guy holding their pizza and pot stickers. Kara paid and brought the food into the living room, placing it on the coffee table. Lena pulled up Netflix and scrolled through. They decided on watching Hotel Transylvania, agreeing that it was adorable and a suitable 'feel good' movie.

After they finished eating, Lena laid down with her head in Kara's lap and Kara gently ran her fingers through Lena's hair.

"Are you sleepy?" Kara asked.

Lena nodded, "And way more relaxed than I've been in a very long time."

"Do you want to go to bed?"

"Not yet, we can watch the second movie."

Neither of them made it more than 20 mins into the next movie though, they both dozed off on the couch. A few hours later, Kara woke up. Realizing they should probably head to bed, she lightly shook Lena's shoulder.

"Lena...Lena, we fell asleep. Come on, we'll be more comfortable in bed."

Lena sat up, squinting at the light of the TV and turned her head to burry her eyes in Kara shoulder. Kara kissed the top of Lena's head before standing up. Lena obviously was still practically asleep. So, Kara lifted her up and carefully carried her to bed. As soon as Kara joined her, Lena curled into Kara's side. Kara wrapped her arm around Lena's shoulders, pulling her close.

"Mmmm, I can hear your heartbeat…" Lena murmured. "Something else to add to my list of comforting things…"

"Good night Lena, I love you," Kara said. She felt her heart stutter as the words came from her mouth and she felt Lena's smile in response.

"I love you too, Kara."


	17. Chapter 17

**Sorry it took so long to bring you guys this update! Grad School is pretty intense, so I had to take a break from writing. But, here it is! The final chapter! It's a bit longer to make up for the wait. I hope you all enjoy.**

The next morning, Lena was the first to awaken. Kara's arm was still gently draped around her shoulder with Lena's head resting on Kara's chest. Lena didn't dare move, she didn't want to risk waking Kara. Instead, she stayed snuggled there and let her mind wander over the events of the previous night.

 _Was that real? Did Kara and I really confess our love for each other or was that just a dream. The past few days do feel pretty surreal...maybe I just imagined all of it. But then, what would I be doing here...in Kara's arms. It must be true. But then, what does that make us? Are we girlfriends? I've never been one for labels...being Kara's girlfriend sounds pretty damn nice though. It makes me feel all fluttery inside. I guess we could be girlfriends...if...if she wants that. What if she doesn't want that though...what if things don't work out...what if…_

Lena's thoughts were interrupted by Kara's sleepily saying, "Good morning beautiful."

Lena smiled and responded, "Good morning gorgeous."

The corners of Kara's lips turned up to match Lena's grin and she pulled Lena closer to her. They just laid there for a moment, enjoying each other's warmth and proximity. Lena couldn't take it though, she had too many questions running around her mind to keep them to herself.

"Can I ask you something?" Lena asked, propping herself up on her elbow so that she could see Kara's face.

"Of course, you can ask me anything," Kara responded.

Lena just stared, from this angle the sun was shining in from Kara's window in just the right way to make Kara's blonde hair look as if it was glowing and to highlight the bright blue specks in Kara's eyes. She looked heavenly and Lena's focus had drifted to this woman's beauty.

"Lena?" Kara prompted and Lena shook her head as if trying to clear out any distracting thoughts.

"Kara, I wanted to ask you...what...what are we?"

The words came out sounding rushed and Lena internally cringed, worried that she was going to be forcing Kara to categorize their relationship before she was ready...before it should even be worried about. But, Lena's concerns were disproved when Kara smiled at the question.

"Well, that depends. What would you like us to be?" Kara countered.

"I...uhhh...I don't know. I mean, we sorta kinda professed our uhhh feelings for each other yesterday. So…I wouldn't say that we're friends. But...I...I don't know what you're looking for. You and Mon-El recently broke up and everything and...I'd understand if you weren't ready for anything…if you're not please...please tell me. Because we can just be friends if that's what you want and…"

Kara reached up and gently brushed her hand across Lena's cheek.

"You're sounding more rambly than me," Kara said, her eyes flashing with amusement. She sat up, so that her and Lena were at the same level and so that their faces were very close to each other. "Can I kiss you?" Kara asked.

"Yes," Lena exhaled.

Kara's kiss was gentle but firm at the same time and Lena couldn't figure out how the two could coincide so wonderfully. And then she remembered that she was kissing both Kara Danvers and Supergirl, the ultimate combination of soft and tough.

"I am ready for something more that just friends," Kara said when their lips were separated. "I know how I feel about you and I think I've known deep down for a long time. I'm ready to live that truth. But, I want you to be sure and I want you to be comfortable. So, I need you to tell me what you want us to be."

Lena thought for a second and then grinned.

"Kara Danvers, will you be my girlfriend?"

"Yes, I will be your girlfriend Lena Luthor."

The pair kissed again and giggled. For a while they stayed in bed, chatting, cuddling, and relaxing. But, eventually, Lena started to feel hungry and knew Kara must be starving.

"Do you want to get some breakfast?" Lena asked.

"Stay here," Kara said with a strange look on her face.

She was gone in a flash and back just as fast holding a white paper bag that she lightly tossed to Lena. Lena opened it and looked inside.

"My favorite croissants from that little bakery in Paris? I told you about that once. You remembered AND flew to Paris for me?"

"I almost flew you to Paris. But, I figured you might like some breakfast in bed."

"You're incredible Kara," Lena said.

Kara just shrugged. To her, she was just showing the woman she loves how much she cares.

Back at Alex's apartment, Maggie awoke to gentle kisses being placed on her cheek. She turned her head so that the next kiss landed firmly on her lips.

"Mmmm, good morning," she murmured. "What are all these kisses for?"

A smile danced across Alex's face. "For taking such good care of me while I was in a coma...for making sure I went back to the DEO and didn't just try to ride things out on my own...for just being the best most amazing girlfriend on the planet…in the universe even."

"Alex, I'm your girlfriend. Taking care of you is part of my job."

"I know, but I want you to know how much I appreciate you," Alex said, punctuating her statement with another series of kisses.

Maggie smiled and brushed a stray hair from Alex's forehead. "I'm just happy you're ok babe."

Alex curled up with her head on Maggie's chest and let out a sigh. "I'm happy to be back in your arms."

Maggie placed a kiss on the top of Alex's head and after a moment said, "What would you like to do today?"

"Can we just have a lazy day in bed? Lots of snuggles and kisses and chatting. Maybe some TV."

"Of course we can. Do you want me to go pick us up some breakfast?"

Alex nodded, hesitated, then said, "I'm coming with you."

While they were standing in line at Noonan's, Alex's mind wandered to her sister and Lena.

"How do you think Kara and Lena are holding up?" Alex asked Maggie.

"Well, based on what they both were seeming to figure out aaanndd on the fact that Lena stayed at Kara's last night, I'm sure they're doing pretty well," Maggie said with a smirk. "Are you worried about them?"

"Yeah, a bit."

"Why don't you call and see if they'd feel up to a game or movie night later on. You and I can be lazy all day and then have the super friends over. I think it'd offer everyone a bit of normalcy after the past few days."

"Sounds like a perfect plan," Alex said as she pulled out her cell phone.

When Kara's phone rang, it startled her at first. Her and Lena were still curled up in bed, just having finished breakfast and just enjoying each other's company. Kara glanced at the caller ID and her eyes widened.

"It's my sister. Should I tell her about us? Should I wait? We haven't really talked about how public we're going to be…" Kara said rushedly.

"You don't have to tell her anything for now, we can talk about it after and go from there. But, for the record, I'll happily be public with you."

The phone call was simple, Alex asked how they were both doing. Kara said they were both fine. Alex invited them over for game night. Kara agreed, only after seeing Lena nod happily. And then the call ended.

"So, you'd be happy to be public with me?" Kara asked, a grin stretching across her face.

"Mmmhmm," Lena answered. "What do you think?"

"I think I'd much rather be open about us than try to hide it. I don't think I'd be able to act normal around you."

"So, it's settled then. We are publically girlfriends!" Lena said. But, her smile quickly faded, "You should know though, there may be some sort of press that ends up being involved. I can try and protect you from the tabloids and paparazzi as much as possible. But, there's no guarantee. If you'd rather not deal with that or if that changes your mind, I completely understand. I just want you to be aware of what us being together could entail."

"Lena, you're forgetting that I am both a reporter and supergirl. I can handle the press. Thank you though, for being forward with me about that. It honestly hadn't even crossed my mind."

"When are we going to tell your sister?" was the next question Lena asked.

"Well, we could tell everyone tonight at game night."

"We should make a game out of it! See how long it takes people to notice."

"I bet Maggie will figure it out almost instantly. But, it'll be funny to see how long it takes everyone else."

The day passed by quickly and before they knew it, it was time to head to Alex's. Lena was wearing some of Kara's clothes because neither of them had wanted to stop at Lena's place before going. Lena didn't want to fly, but she didn't want to call her driver either. Instead, they hailed a taxi. Sitting in the back, Kara reached over to clasp Lena's hand. Lena was fidgeting slightly and Kara picked up on it.

"Are you nervous?"

"A little bit."

"Why?"

"Because I know your sister has mixed feelings about me and I'm not really sure what the rest of your friends think. I'm just worried they won't approve."

"Lena, they'll love us and they'll love you. They're all just very cautious and protective. But, you helped us so much the past few days. They would be crazy to question where your loyalties lay."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Once they reached Alex's building, Kara lead them to the elevator and up to the apartment. Before entering, Kara placed a kiss firmly on Lena's lips. Lena squeezed Kara's had before letting it drop to her side. If they were going to make a game out of how long it takes people to notice, then they couldn't be too obvious.

The first hour was a whirlwind of greetings, votes for food, debates on games vs movies vs both, questions on how everyone was feeling, and just general banter. Finally though, everything seemed to settle down. Food was ordered, it was agreed that first they'd play a few games and then they'd settle in for a movie or two, and everyone seemed content. The whole team was there and the apartment was filled with loud warm laughter and chatting. They took turns playing band members in guitar hero and tried their hand at a few rounds of Cards Against Humanity. Everyone was shocked at how funny J'onn could be.

After some time though, the energy started to fade and everyone agreed it was time for a movie. They chose Moana rather quickly, no one could resist the feel good nature of it. There were people strewn all over the living room as they found where they were most comfortable. Maggie was sitting half on Alex's lap in their oversized arm chair, J'onn sat with his back leaning up against the same chair. Winn was on one side of the couch while James was propped up on some pillows on the floor. Kara and Lena had been sitting next to each other on the couch, but as the movie started Lena scooched closer to Kara and Kara wrapped her arm around Lena's shoulders. Maggie, as expected, was the first to notice. She nudged Alex and pointed to the pair. J'onn noticed Maggie's movement and started to snicker. Winn and James looked at each other, a bit confused until Winn turned to see Lena and Kara's new position.

"Ohhh...oh! Kara?! You and Lena are…?! I'm so happy for you both!" Winn exclaimed.

J'onn couldn't hold it any longer, he let out a full laugh. "I knew the moment you two were outside that door. Neither of you are good at keeping that part of your minds quiet."

"Well, thank you for keeping our secret," Lena said.

"I told you!" Maggie said.

Alex just smiled, "I'm happy for you sis. And you too Lena. You're great for each other."

Everyone took their turns offering congratulations and asking how it happened and everything. Lena leaned into Kara even more and grinned, taking it all in. She was sitting there with her girlfriend and all of their friends. Nothing could be more perfect that that.

The rest of the night was simple, movies until people started to doze off. Then everyone headed home.

Kara and Lena were the last to leave.

"Congratulations again you guys, really. I'm so happy for you," Alex said, giving them both a hug.

"I knew you'd figure it out Little Danvers," Maggie said. "Take care of each other."

With that, the night was over and everything was back to normal. Well, at least as normal as things for Supergirl and friends could be. One thing though, would never be the same.

Lena rested her head on Kara's chest letting her heartbeat lull her to sleep. But, just before her eyes slipped close, she spoke.

"I love you Kara Danvers."

"I love you too Lena Luthor."

The End

 **Thank you again for reading! It was a pleasure writing this fic for all of you. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have. Please let me know what you think!**


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